Beneath the Facade
by Ranryuujin Omega
Summary: Ranma has been in Inaba for a two days bit and he's already adjusting nicely. However there is more than what meets the eye with Ranma and his situation. Despite Ranma's best attempts, his true past begins to unravel... Now placed where it truly belongs!
1. A Fortunate Encounter?

_Beneath the Façade _

_Chapter 1: A Fortunate encounter?_

_A Ranma ½ and Persona 4 Crossover Fanfic_

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* * *

_"Human speech"

'Human thought'

"_Shadow Speech"_

'_Shadow Thought'_

_Technique name_

**Emphasis**

"Shouts"

* * *

_April 12, 2011; 11:30pm, Inaba, Japan_

A cruel icy chill swept the sleeping province of Inaba, enveloped in a deep fog. The very few people who were out were shivering as the cold got to them; all except two. Right out the entrance of the town, two still silhouettes looked over the town. All that can be seen from taller silhouette were dark, stormy blue eyes, scanning the surroundings as they darted within their sockets. The other one was much shorter, and had startlingly big piercing coal black eyes that were doing the same thing. It also had a stick-like shape that was as tall as its companion, grasped in is hand.

"Inaba. So this is the place you wanted to go to?" A rough, teenage male voice intoned softly, revealing the figure's gender. "This better be worth my time, Old Ghoul." He turned to the other, shorter shape as his tone became sharp and arrogant.

The other figure narrowed its eyes very slightly and smacked the boy with her cane with a meaty thwack. "Tsk, tsk. I told you not to call me that, **muko-dono**. And don't worry yourself; this will be a **very interesting **experience, if the rumors prove true." A rough, feminine cackle issued forth right afterward, scaring the nearest passerby away.

The other figure rubbed his head with slightly narrowed eyes and sighed. "Fine… Elder Cologne, if you stop calling me muko-dono. It's annoying and it isn't even true anymore." He kept his tone cool, but annoyed. "I'm a Musk noble now after all. And after all da' shit Herb put me into to get that rank, I ain't letting ya forget it, ya here?" He immediately winced after that; he had slipped back again to his old habits. He had thought that he had much better restraint than that. Damn it….

The shorter female figure chuckled. "Of course… of course, Ranma**-sama**. Don't let that title get into your head though; I am still your superior. You are a decade too young to truly challenge me." She could not claim a century anymore; not by how much he had improved over the course of the year. But there was still more for him to go before he could surpass her… and then Happy.

The figure revealed to be Ranma scoffed. "Che. I know. I'm not going to be like Herb was when I first met him." Then a few seconds later he spoke again, clearing the sudden and uncomfortable silence, when she didn't respond. "So… where are we going, **Elder Cologne**?"

"We are going to stay in the Amagi inn for the week, while I shall look for more permanent lodgings. You shall be attending school here-" She was interrupted with an outraged shout. "What?! School?! You can't be serious!" Ranma's blue eyes narrowed in the darkness, and one could see him… growling? Complete with fangs, no less.

"Oh yes, I am completely serious sonny-boy. A **noble** such as you needs to be educated in the ways of his time, after all. Am I right?" The old woman said, completely unperturbed by his reaction; in fact, she was even expecting it.

"While looking like this?! Have you gone senile?! I don't even look fully human! Hell… I'm **not** fully human." He growled at her, completely outraged at her decision. She however, looked as calm and serene as ever to his enhanced senses. Why was that? His argument was reasonable, wasn't it?

"You, the great Shen Long Ranma, are concerned about fitting in? My, my, my…. And here I thought that you were above that." Ranma twitched at that; she caught him there. "So what if I am? Nobles such as I need to be concerned over their image, after all. As Herb taught me, I cannot afford to look bad." He did his best impression of the snotty, self-absorbed noble for effect; it was always helluva fun to mimic those uptight bastards!

Cologne actually cackled heartily at that. The more things change, the more things stay the same, or so they say. Even someone as chaotic and unpredictable as Ranma was not exempt to these things. This as actually why she liked the boy an offered to train him even without her claim; he was the best entertainment she had in over a hundred years! Even better than her great granddaughter, whose antics became boring after a while.

"Is that so? Then surely you must be ashamed of your heritage then? Why else would you be hesitant?" She shot back with a bit of mirth in her tone. "Oi! I ain't ashamed! I'll prove it too, and go to that school!" As soon as that left his mouth, he covered it in horror.

'Oh man… I fell for it again! I'm such an idiot! And to make things worse, she won't let me take back those words! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!' The boy scolded himself mentally even as the ancient elder wore a smug smile. She knew that she won, and he knew it.

"Come now Ranma-sama. Our next destination is the Amagi Inn. Chop to it!" With that, she leaped onto a rooftop and began roof hopping to the destination. Ranma blinked for a moment, and then followed suit once the shock wore off, cursing her.

"Hey! That was cheap! Get back here you old ghoul!"

* * *

It was the strangest case she could have acquired in all her life, and in such a quiet, rural town nonetheless. Usually the methods of a murder are quite common and simple, such as shooting or stabbing or the result of blunt force trauma. But this one… They had the victim - Yamano-san, a TV reporter - hanging upside down from a telephone pole! Furthermore, the cause of the cause of her death remains unknown, despite the attempts of the autopsy team. Indeed, this is Naoto Shirogane's most difficult case yet.

This is why Naoto was most surprised at the appearance of yet another strange factor in Inaba. This time, it took the form of someone_. _It was a male, to be exact, one that had the most peculiar appearance. Who, indeed, wears a cloak inside such a place? It was out of place, indeed. Perhaps this is another mystery to solve…? But alas, the Detective Prince had no time for such childish assumptions. She had to concentrate more on the murder, rather than some man's abnormal choice of apparel.

And yet, her curiosity did not cease. The question lingered inside her mind, and Naoto knew that it will drive her mad if it remained unanswered. It was the job of a detective to uncover mysteries and search out for the truth, after all, even this was such a petty thing.

Oh well, might as well ask, though she made sure to take caution in case the figure proved to be dangerous. She walked towards him with a polite greeting.

"Good evening, sir. My name is Shirogane Naoto. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Judging by your appearance, it would seem that you are a newcomer of Inaba. May I ask the reason why you are in such a costume?"

* * *

Ranma was already up on the rooftop when he heard her call out. Yes, he knew that the person was a her, not a him. He had learned from his past three encounters with very good cross dressers on how to distinguish one. Well… that and he had a brief scan of her aura. Hey, he was rather edgy today. It was his first taste of civilization after he left Nerima after all.

He looked in the old woman's direction for a second, only to see that Cologne had not waited up for him. Well… drat. He really needed to catch up with her, but his honor and protocol indicated that he stay. He can track her down later; hopefully she would understand and try not to bite his head off.

He gave out a sigh and jumped down, landing in front of this 'Shirogane Naoto' person. He then listened to the second part of the question, and scowled deeply under his hood. He can't really give a straight answer to that, now can he? How was he supposed to tell a normal person that he was hiding his face from the world because it was inhuman? Or that he was afraid that the fog might trigger his Jusenkyo curse? It would be best to simply dodge the question or go around it. He was in no mood to try and make someone believe.

"Why would it matter to you?" He crossed his arms as he spoke in a disinterested tone.

Naoto frowned. "In case you didn't know, I am part of the police department. It is our job to make sure everyone is safe inside this town. Therefore, I have the right to ask you regarding your current choice of clothing. If you are not hiding something, then I suppose it shall be fine for you to reveal your appearance to me?" It was a challenge – a small part of her even smirked. There was no way this figure would escape her grasp!

But then, a part of her still wonders the absurdity of the situation. Who in the world wonders in such a fog looking like that? Not only that, he also seemed to have disappeared from her sight for a second there. How could that be? No, she refused to jump into the conclusion that she was just imagining things. For one, she was quite awake, despite the hour, and her mind was sharp and clear. Furthermore, they were too close in order for the fog to play tricks on her. Indeed, everything has a _reason. _And Naoto is determined to find it out.

"Of course, we can always talk about it in the police station." She continued, after a second thought, in case he might retaliate. Her tone was calm, but still she didn't know if she can make him go there with only brute force. It was clear that their physical abilities have a high amount of difference. Her height disadvantage was only one of them. Her mind started tinkering, in search for methods she might be able to use against him. She was very confident in her deductive abilities – perhaps she can corner him with wit…?

'Tch. She isn't giving up. This is going to become difficult, isn't it?' He mentally sighed at that; his luck sucked even away from Nerima. 'My first day in Inaba, and I get questioned by a crossdressing teenage cop. Not only that, but a **female** crossdressing cop. If ever Cologne planned this… I'm going to torture her. Slowly and very painfully after being humiliated in all of Asia.'

The funny thing was, the girl actually thought that he would yield that easily, even with the subtle threats? He was Shen Long Ranma, and he never backed off anything, even if it was for something as trivial as this. He wasn't about to lower his hood for a stranger! Not even for a cute crossdressing girl.

He blinked; where the hell did that last thought come from? Whatever. The former Nerimian decided to reply after a few seconds, narrowing his clearly visible dark blue eyes. "I don't want to. And frankly, you can't make me." He put an arrogant tone in his voice as he spoke. So what if he looked suspicious? He was more comfortable in this, especially in the heavy fog.

Tch, she didn't want that, despite the fact that the possibility of him answering with such a manner was present. To Naoto's eyes, it would seem like this man over here has no respect whatsoever to the authorities, or probably even the elderly as well. It would seem like a more efficient method is necessary in order to persuade him to tell the truth. It was always like that in detective novels, right? You press on the suspect with logical explanation and evidence in order for him to finally give up.

But alas, she had no clues whatsoever, or even a good idea for his possible motive. Why would one wear such a cloak, indeed? Naoto sighed. Getting all riled up, just because of something like this… How childish of her.

But nonetheless, Naoto pressed on. "Hm, if you refuse to answer, then maybe I could try to figure it out." A smile played on her lips, bringing out false confidence. Oh, this was just a plan so she could have more time in thinking. It's not even winter yet, why would someone wear a cloak?

Ranma was feeling confident that she wouldn't be able to guess all of his reasons for wearing the damn thing, so why not? Besides… even though he should really catch up with the old ghoul, this looked to be more entertaining. And he missed that. "Go ahead. I'll give you till-" He reached out inside his cloak and brought out a golden pocket watch, held in his gloved hand. "-Five minutes after midnight. I'll even confirm if your guess is right, since I'm feeling generous tonight. After that though… I'm leaving." The arrogant tone was still present; he was feeling very confident of himself tonight that was for sure! Maybe it was the absence of his mentor? In any case, this should prove interesting.

'…Wait. Why would someone wear a cloak?' Naoto thought.

That's it! Rather than wondering on the possibilities of someone wearing such a thing in Inaba, she should concentrate on the _purposes _of a cloak!

"Other than being a costume, cloaks have other uses in real life." She began, playing around with the idea. "For example, cloaks were used as a means of protection from the weather, such as wind and rain. However, no strong wind is present at the moment, and obviously it's not raining. Perhaps, then, you are trying to protect yourself from the fog…?" But why? Naoto decided to wait and see his reaction to this. After all, she didn't want to dwell on a path that shall lead her to the truth…

He was surprised; she was really sharp! She was already very near to guessing one of his reasons already! Impressive. Just like that bitch Nabiki was… actually even her would have taken more time than this one did. Maybe he shouldn't have made that promise… too late. He can't take it back now. Why was he such a terrible gambler in things not related to battle?

"You're getting close to one of them." He admitted. But she could never guess that it was because of his Jusenkyo curse. Most normal folk won't even think about that possibility… or even have the knowledge that curses actually existed, along with magic. He had that advantage at the very least, even if it was a very unfair one.

Naoto would have to admit that she fell a burst of pride directed at herself once he admitted to one of the reasons. However…. 'you're getting close'. That wasn't good enough for her, but still she lacked the ability to uncover specifics. After all, she lacked the research. "Perhaps the fog triggers a condition?" Well, that's the best she could do for the one.

Yes, the mysterious figure said 'one of them'. Then he must have other reasons as well. Since her previous method worked, Naoto decided to continue with that thought. "A cloak is made up of a large piece of cloth, and they are made to in order to cover up an entire body…" Naoto's thoughtful look, however, gained a frown. "Perhaps, then, you are trying to conceal your appearance…? Or worse, anything dangerous…?" If he had a weapon, then she would have to arrest him for sure. A revolver may not be enough for self-defense, but it was the best she has.

Once she gave her answers, the cloaked teen froze. Holy… she solved his reasons in ten minutes flat?! Damn, she was amazing! Or was he that obvious? Either way… he had to tell the truth. His word bound him to it. Dear god… was she a detective or something?! It would make sense. Besides, not that she had to know just what the condition was. Even if he did take off just the hood, it wouldn't trigger his curse… not that he would.

"…Correct. On both counts." He relented with an amused tone. "I'm impressed. You solved that fast, Naoto. You a detective or something?" He added, with complete disregard to honorfics.

Naoto chuckled. She knew this was easy. "I told you I was with the police, did I?" Still, she did not let her guard down. What if he was a dangerous man - ?

Suddenly, they heard a very loud scream from the distance. A loud, horrified female scream. What the heck?! Someone was in trouble! "You heard that?" Ranma asked, his voice turning completely serious.

"Yes, I do." Naoto replied, revealing her revolver. Amusement and her sense of triumph gone, she was back into her usual, calm yet serious self. Of course, she was still in duty, and so she still had a job to do. Oh, if she noticed it just earlier! But alas, she was too concentrated on her little game with this young man. At that thought, Naoto stared at him. Well, since this was his fault, why not have him help? Besides, his build indicates that he is used to physical combat. Perhaps he might be of help…? "May you assist me?" To be honest, she was a bit reluctant – she wasn't used to situations where she is forced to be with someone else. She was used to working alone. But the situation calls for a 'backup', and this guy was the nearest one she could get.

"Of course." The cloaked boy replied, putting back his pocket watch inside his pant pocket. He was now serious; a horrified scream like that indicated something very bad. That meant he had to hurry to the location… but he knew nothing of the streets. But he could locate it from the roof tops. "Sorry about this, but this is the fastest way to get there." He added, sounding rather apologetic as he scratched the back of his neck… or rather, the part of the cloak where it covered his neck.

In a swift movement unable to be picked up by a normal human's eyes, he moved towards her and picked her up in his arms, unmindful of whatever reaction she would have.

"W-Wait, what are you -!" Naoto exclaimed in embarrassment, her face already red. Furthermore, her tone sounded more feminine than usual…

He then jumped up to the roof tops and began jumping towards the source of the scream, not jostling his passenger at all due to his experience carrying people in this way. His cloak fluttered in the breeze as he did so, revealing that he was wearing kung-fu pants and heavy-duty boots. Despite that though, he wasn't making a sound as he headed towards his destination, his blue eyes aglow in the moon light and hitting them… making them slitted. Not that he noticed.

How. **In the. **World.

Naoto was flustered. Not that she didn't mind heights – in fact, she **loved them**– but… But still! To be held by such a stranger all of a sudden only to bring her up towards the rooftops! This… This is **sexual harassment!**

But still, the remaining rational part of her mind (small as it was) asked the question **how **could he have done it? He definitely had some superhuman abilities in order to do something like that. She was right – this man was indeed suspicious. Naoto made a note to keep track of him. Hopefully he is not connected to the murders…

* * *

_11:50 pm_

A woman was walking in an alleyway rather briskly, holding some small white plastic bags filled with medicine. She had been ordered to go and buy medicine for her son by her husband –which she would have done anyway even without it-, but it had been really late. In fact, she had to plead the store owner to give her the medicine she needed even though they were closed, which took a significant amount of time. Thus, now she was trying to get home as fast as she can at this dangerous hour, taking all the short cuts she could.

Unfortunately for her, that was her mistake. In that alleyway, three nasty-looking thugs were waiting for any prey to come to them tonight, becoming really bored as hell in the process. They were having a slow night tonight due to the fog. However, luck **came through** for them in the form of that woman.

The hidden thugs quickly ambushed her, smacking her upside the head with a fist. Then, they looted through the plastic bags and were disappointed. It was only medicine, and not anything really valuable. Not even food. "Well, ain't ya a useless wench? Havin' nothing ta give us." One of them, a burly man with tattoos and a buzz cut spoke.

"We still have a consolation prize though." The second one, a normal-looking guy with brown hair and eyes, only with thicker muscle and brass knuckles, said. He leered at the housewife. "Looks like we got a winner here! We're gonna get laid tonight, boyz!"

At that statement, the woman, who was barely conscious, screamed out, **"No!!! Please no!! Someone help me!"** But no one came immediately running to her aid… and she thought that she was doomed. And so… she cried as she surrendered, holding her aching head while crying as the thugs began to pin her down and remove their pants.

* * *

_11:55pm_

Ramna finally found them, and he landed onto the scene silently. He was boiling in rage as he saw the three thugs with their pants down, and with the woman's clothing almost in shreds; someone was doing to die. He hated rapists. He deposited Naoto to her feet, and then spoke, adding ki to his voice as a paralyzing effect, one of the tricks he had figured out from the perverted old goat. "Just what the hell are you doing to her?" The voice he used sounded deeper, and more inhuman. It also had this cool echoing effect… but he wasn't going to dwell on that. As for Naoto… let's see what she does.

Naoto, on the other hand, felt his ki. Well, she didn't know it was ki, but still she felt a bit numb due to it. Not only that, but she heard something dark and sinister from that tone. The Detective Prince frowned. It's just like what she feared…. But still, he was an ally at the moment, and she should take the advantage. She aimed at the ground, near their feet, and fired a warning shot. At least they'll know she was being serious. "This is the Inaba Police Department, you are under arrest for assault and attempted rape. Do not try to retaliate." Indeed, for someone as young as her to say something like that was impressive. Or at least, that's what Naoto thinks.

The would-be rapists would have laughed at the **little boy's** statement, even with the revolver. However, the intimidating voice and posture of the taller and cloaked make were making them have second thoughts. The woman of course couldn't answer, as she was also affected by the ki in teenage boy's voice.

However, one of them mustered up the will to retaliate. "I-I ain't afraid of you!" The third thug, a shifty-eyed guy with dyed green hair and yellow contacts shouted shakily as he took out his own gun and pointed it at them.

Ranma was already severely pissed off at the situation, and he only got madder when he saw the gun trained at him. Instead of saying anything though, he simply ran up to him using his superhuman speed and broke his arms in three places with swift and economic movements, earning him three loud cracks that resonated throughout the area, along with the thug's pained scream.

"You still stupid enough to try and resist arrest? Or will you desist?" He said icily, going along with Naoto's declaration to justify his actions further. His voice still had ki laced in it… and with him holding the victimized thug's broken arms along with his slitted eyes, he looked like a dangerous predator right now.

Naoto was correct – without him around, she can also be a victim as well. Convinced that they were intimidated enough by her companion's actions, she stepped in closer to them, revolver still aimed at the culprits. "Put your hands in the air, and step away from the lady." She said in a business-like tone. A cop, indeed (or rather, a detective.) The two thugs, scared enough thanks to a certain someone's exhibition of strength, followed Naoto's commands and done as they were told. The detective them pulled out shackles from her pockets, and put them in the two. "Follow me to the station."

And then she glared at the mysterious figure as well. They might be thugs, but that's not a good reason to injure someone badly. "And you are going as well. Kindly escort the final suspect." Her tone was commanding – oh yes, she insists him to come along with them or else. The guy was like a monster, after all!

He glared right back at her with his slitted blue eyes that reflected gold for the briefest of seconds… but then relented. He got himself involved in this mess, so he might as well ride it out all the way through. "Fine." He hefted up the suspect into a fireman's carry, putting him on his shoulder. Of course, the thug flinched and whimpered as he did; he was too damn afraid of this… this… monster. "Why does the monster have to carry me?" He bemoaned as he was lifted.

Naoto felt a cold chill run down her spine. Those eyes weren't normal! And oh yes, she knew how to differentiate real eyes from those disguised with contact lenses… She was quite sure those slitted eyes were real. Still, she glared back again. 'Monster'… Yes, for now that was the best term to describe him.

At the statement, he winced slightly at that. It was a sensitive subject for him… as it was connected to the reason on why he left Nerima and the Saotome name. He didn't need to remember those memories. He had turned his back on that chapter of life and he was never going back. Ever. "Suck it up, you sissy. They're just broken arms." He had finally returned to his normal voice, which was lighter and normal.

Oh, and of course she can't just leave the victim all alone. "Are you alright now, miss?" She inquired, one that was received by a shaky nod. So the victim was also traumatized due to that, as well. "Do you mind us telling the entire story?" That, and she had to convince the woman to shut up about her companion – if anyone else knows about him, that would cause a panic and Naoto didn't want that to happen at all.

She agreed to do so… provided that they get something for the concussion first and after she picked up the plastic bags. Fortunately, Ranma had something that would remove the need to go to the hospital.

"Excuse me… may I offer some aid for that concussion you have there?" He asked politely, trying not to scare her off with his normal voice. The woman hesitantly agreed, still nervous around the cloaked man.

Once he had her permission, he started to touch some pressure points on her temples and massaged them a bit. After he was done, he could actually see that the woman was relieved of her pain, and very shocked as well that he managed to do that with pokes. "I simply dulled the pain of your concussion for a while. It should last until daybreak, so don't worry about it wearing off. I still suggest you go to the doctor and have that checked after you go the police station though." He said in a completely professional voice.

* * *

_April 13, 2011; 12:05 am, Inaba Police Station_

"That was quite immature of you, Detective Shirogane. To pursue a suspect of rape with no backup… Did you realize what could have happened?"

Naoto didn't like what she heard – no, she **hated **it. What's with the police force, treating her like a child? She can take care of her own, thank you very much! She can apprehend suspects without anyone's help, not even that stranger's! But still, she did not throw a tantrum. It will do nothing, after all. So she just calmly faced her lecture (oh, that made her feel more like a child!), nodding from time to time.

"I apologize for my mistake. It will not happen again." Naoto replied. She was still using that cold façade of hers. After all, in the end, this was **her **case. At least they allowed her to inquire regarding the entire story on her own. On a nearby room, the victim was already sitting in a chair, waiting for her to come up.

And then… There was also another one. The stranger, who fortunately cooperated with her this time, was also inside the station. Naoto was determined to figure out his methods of fighting. It was completely illogical, and yet she saw him do all of those things with her very own eyes… Just who is he?

* * *

Ranma looked completely bored as he sat on of the chairs they had in the station. He knew that his cloak was completely inappropriate indoors, but if didn't stop Herb or Taro, why should it stop him? He knew that he didn't know the first thing about social etiquette, but he wasn't about to start caring now; thus he kept it on.

Plus… on another note, he didn't understand the reprimand. Why would they be angry at Naoto if she managed to succeed? Besides… did she actually need backup? Those thugs were a bunch of wimps; they weren't even black belts in a single martial art for pete's sake. She shouldn't have to accept her pride being beaten like that, so why did she let them do it? Bah. He didn't understand women.

The interrogation only took a while. The woman was quite helpful, giving all of the information she could remember at that time, and thanks to their fear of their bones being broken, the two thugs immediately admitted their crime and were quickly thrown behind bars. The unfortunate one, however, was sent to a hospital – they won't let him suffer like that, right? And so the situation ended as fast as it flew by. Naoto immediately went towards the stranger, more serious than ever.

"I would like to inquire about your extraordinary display this midnight." She said once she was in front of him. "But first, may you properly introduce yourself to me?" Naoto was tired of calling him 'that stranger' inside her mind, anyway. Besides, she gave her own – it would be fair for him to tell her at least his name.

Ramna looked at her for a few moments, before relenting once again. It couldn' hurt… right? Right. Although… why was he giving up so easily with her anyway? Probably the honor thing. Yes… that's it. Yep. "Shen Long, Ranma."

"Shen Long Ranma?" Naoto tilted her head. "A Chinese last name, and a Japanese first…? So, you have mixed blood." Quite an unusual name, too. "Go on, Ranma-san."

"And as for the first inquiry… the answer is extensive training in the martial arts. Nothing special." Of course, Ranma had a warped view of normal.

To this, Naoto frowned. "I believe that vocal techniques paralyzing an opponent and the ability to jump across roofs are far from normal. They might have been seen in some movies but surely they are unachievable without props, tricks, and stunts. Your 'extensive training', therefore, has something special in its curriculum. Would you mind sharing it to me?"

Oh course those kung-fu movies were lame. Not only were they so weak, they were also fake too. They can't even balance themselves on bamboo without bending it, or lift boulders. Hell… most of them can't even use Ki at all. Even Akane wasn't that lame. And those actors needing stunt men to do those easy stunts were pitiful; they were obviously only concerned about looking good in the movie.

"Then they obviously don't know how to push themselves to their absolute limits." He didn't need ki for roof hopping anymore, and that says something about the things humans can achieve, right? And even without that, Ryoga was still inhumanely strong. He then decided to go into another topic. It wasn't like Ki was a secret technique after all. They use it for mining- i.e. Bakusai Tenketsu and the Shi Shi Hokodan.

Naoto can't help but chuckle. "Ranma-san, the reason they create kung fu movies is for entertainment, not actual combat. They don't have the skills to be as strong as you simply because that is not their ambition. They are actors, not fighters." There were some exceptions, though – like that famous Chinese guy – but still, they were obviously no match against this guy. They're just normal martial artists, after all, not trainees of some gruesome program.

"What do you know about Ki?" He decided to say after a few moments of deliberation. Let's see how far her knowledge of the obscure is.

"Ki?" A detective had to know several pieces of information here and there. Sometimes they provide good clues to a case, such as references in a riddle, or simple facts incorporated in a crime. And so Naoto knew the basics of Ki, at least. "I believe that Ki is the energy you acquire from the inside of your body, correct? It has been a basic factor in martial arts." Yes, she was quite sure even normal martial arts lessons incorporated Ki in their curriculum. They cannot, however, use it as efficiently as him.

So she does know something; this should make things easier to explain. "Yes. In essence, Ki is one's spiritual energy. It can be used to perform tasks that the body normally could not, like bending steel and jumping above buildings. However, the body **can** be trained to those without the help of Ki. It is just much harder and takes more effort.

There are also other applications of Ki, like healing and direct attacks. Sorry though, I don't know much about the use of Ki in healing. I never bothered to focus on that, so I only know the basics." He deliberately left out the combat usage aspect to see if she would ask. And he also looked around very discreetly to make sure that no one was focusing their attention on them right now… just in case.

Well, it seemed unbelievable, but he didn't seem like he was lying. Things made sense in Naoto's mind now, thanks to that explanation. And yet it still felt so unreal, that such power can be acquired by human beings in the real world. "So I assume that you were able to do those things thanks to Ki? The paralyzing effect and the, u-um…. Ability to jump across rooftops?" She had to admit, she was still embarrassed regarding that. Pink hues tinged on her cheeks again, making her look more like a girl. Slightly. "W-Well, how exactly do you use Ki for combat, then?"

Well… so far the questions were easy. Hopefully that pace won't change. "For the paralyzing effect of my voice… yes. That is an advanced application of Ki. The Ki enhances the vibration, and shifts it to such an extent that it is able to give subliminal commands that the subconscious can pick up. Thus, the fear." Why can't he be this smart in school as well? It would make things much easier for him.

Of course, as dense as he is about women, he thought that the blush was because apparently she thought the room was very warm. "As for the roof hopping ability… no. I've long ago trained my body to be able to jump that high without the assistance of Ki." And his unlocked heritage made things even easier, being what he was. But he wasn't going to say that.

"And as for other combat uses…." He then decided that a simple Ki ball would do the trick. He was about to do it when he thought about something important. With his gloves, they would only look like some sort of trick. That meant he had to… remove them. Oh well. It's just one glove. He removed his right glove, exposing his tanned, calloused, and clawed hand. Then he focused a tiny spark of his Ki and let it out, making it float on top of his palm through sheer willpower.

It was a tiny ball, but it was radiating a lot of light. Strangely though… no heat. Mostly because he made it too small to generate that much heat. "Another use is projectile and weapon forming." He stated.

Naoto stared at the ball. It was unlike anything she saw before, like it was pulled out from from fantasy book! Warily she poked it, expecting for something to happen, but it didn't do anything bad to her. In fact, right after touching it, she felt rather… Brave? No, more like confident. It only lasted for a while, however – she quickly deduced that it was the Ki that caused her to feel that.

She would have been satisfied if not for yet another lingering question in her mind, one that popped out right after Ranma's little show and tell. It was about his hand. His eyes were one thing, but Naoto was not positive that no human should be able to develop such claws. There is the possibility of mutation due to radiation, but Ranma-san seemed unlikely to develop those through such means. Might as well ask.

"So, Ranma-san, does your exceptional ability also the result of your rather unnatural appearance? I highly doubt that you are a normal human." Ki abilities aside, of course. Still, that explains why he has that cloak around. But couldn't have he chose a less suspicious wardrobe…?

At the turn of the discussion towards his heritage, he tensed. He didn't want anyone knowing… even if Herb repeatedly told him to take pride in his Musk heritage. So what if he didn't want to? It cheapened his earned skills, even though he perfectly knew that his learning curve was the main reason for that, not his heritage.

"No. I trained it myself. These are things I learned through blood, sweat, and tears." As well as lots of mental scarring. Of course, she didn't need to know that. "And-and of course I'm just a regular human! Yep! Nothing weird about me aside from possibly my martial arts ability." Ugh. Even he could tell that what he said was an absolutely terrible lie. He swore that he had more than one curse; why else would he suc this bad at lying when not in combat? She was bound to be definitely suspicious now! There's **nothing** normal about him, especially with the Jusenkyo curse.

Naoto deadpanned. "Then I suppose slitted eyes and claws are normal features of a human?"

Ranma quickly thought up of an excuse. "Um… they're props? Contact lenses and realistic fake claws! I… just like wearing them. That's all. Really."

"Ranma-san, you are forgetting the fact that you are speaking to a detective. I've experienced uncovering disguises before, and I am quite sure those aren't fake. Besides, do you have a reason to wear such things despite that Halloween is seven months away? Perhaps you may want to prove them that they are fake, then. Why not remove them right now?"

Crap. He can't; they're most definitely real. This is one of the very few times he cursed Herb for unlocking his true nature. "…You win again, Naoto. Yes, they are real. Happy?" He narrowed his still slitted eyes- it was bright inside the station- as he sighed. At least she wasn't asking him to remove the cloak.

….Well, actually Naoto was about to ask him to remove said cloak, but his reaction to that made her take pity on him. It's not hard being different from all the others and having to live in society's standards… She knew that all too well. He can't be any different, right? "U-Uhm… If you want…" She muttered, her voice suddenly getting a little pitchy. "I can create some disguises for you, so you won't have to wear that cloak around here." It would be hard, considering that she didn't have the best of her materials, but Naoto knew it was possible. That it, if he would accept that deal.

Ranma immediately cheered up at that. "Really? That would be great, Naoto! Thank you for your kindness." However… now he **did** feel guilty. She was being nice to him now… and she was actually the first nice girl he had ever met. The rest… he would rather not think about them. "I suppose that since you are doing me a favor… I owe you one."

With that, he removed the hood of his cloak, revealing his head and face for the first time in the light. His face was tanned, and his features were quite handsome. He would have looked quite serious if it were not for the sheepish grin on his face, revealing his fangs. His ears were pointed, but human-sized. His eyes stood out even more now that they were out of the shadows obscuring his face, showing that they were twinkling in mischief… and a bit of embarrassment and happiness.

His most bizarre feature though, was his hair. It was quad-colored, and none of the parts were a dye-job. His spiked bangs were black, the ones tied in a ponytail were fire-engine red, and in-between them was black hair. Here were also two jagged blue steaks running the length of his hair, except for the bangs area.

She didn't know how to react, actually – whether to be surprised, to smile in assurance, or to die in laughter. Naoto chose option two, since the first one might hurt his feelings and the third one would totally be out of her character. "I believe some dye and contacts would help, and perhaps no one would take notice much on the fangs. It would take me some time before I can come up of something that can take care of your ears, however… I'll have them delivered to you by this week. Where are you staying at?"

"Hair dye? No. I tried that a couple of times. It simply slid off my hair and did nothing. Heck, they were more effective on my skin than on my hair." He gave a shrug at that; must be a dragon thing. Explained why none of Lime's or Mint's dye pranks worked on Herb. "And as for the eyes: as along as I stay in medium light, it won't contract into slits." He had honestly no idea for the ears as well though.

"Hmmm…" This put Naoto deep in thought. That would be a challenge, indeed. "Perhaps we can find a way to tame your hair and have you put on a wig…?" Still, the multi-colored hair was the least of her concerns. For one, people can always mistake it as dyed hair, though he **will **be labeled as unusual to use such colors.

The only way to tame his hair would be to… cut… it. Oh no. Oh **hell** no! He liked his hair this way, even if it wasn't a pigtail anymore –it was too thick for that-. And he wasn't even sure that it would even work! Is it a crime to like his hair long? Ugh… as if the macadamia nut of a principal wasn't enough. But he would have to anyway… it's quite probable that the school regulations would be stricter and much better than at Furinkan-cho –granted, they don't have a ki-vampire of a teacher or the Hawaiian freak Kuno- so Cologne would probably force him to cut it anyway.

At the mention of his current residence, he face-palmed; crap and a half! He forgot about Cologne! But… it was weird on how she wasn't looking for him yet; did she plan this entire thing? Nah. Couldn't be. Maybe she fell asleep after checking in because she needed an old person nap? Whatever.

"I'm staying at the Amagi inn for the week while my… guardian would go to look for more permanent lodgings. Also…-" He scratched his head sheepishly at this. "Do you know where the Amagi inn is? I kinda lost track of my… guardian when you called out. She was supposed to lead me there, since I'm new to Inaba… and I have no map." And frankly, he didn't want to wander around like Ryoga in Inaba. He was sleepy, damn it!

Oh yes, Naoto knew where the Amagi Inn was. It was where Mayumi Yamano was staying before she disappeared, after all. "Yes, allow me to take you there." Perhaps it won't hurt to accompany him towards there, right? Unless, of course, the staff notices his rather unusual characteristics…

Ramna really cheered up at that. "Really? Thanks Naoto! You're a cool gal. Haven't met any of those."

'…Wait. What?' Naoto thought in shock.

"E-e-e-excuse me, Ranma-san. I'm male." Though she didn't look manly now, considering that she was blushing all over (again) and stuttering in high pitched tones (again). Ugh, how come she always loses her cool around this guy?!

He scoffed at that. "I know a girl when I see one, Naoto. I've known cross dressers before… and no offense, but they were much better at what they did. I figured out on how to tell the difference between genders after those encounters." That… and her aura is definitely female. "Besides, why would I mistake a pretty girl like you as a guy?" Again, Ranma does not notice his mouth running amok, only smiling cheerfully in ignorance.

"…" Naoto gaped. Oh no, she can't think of a counter statement to that! (And what was that about her being **pretty?!**) So, instead, she shrugged off the question and coughed. "E-Either way, do you still want me to accompany you to the Amagi Inn?"

"Of course! Let's go!" The ponytailed teen said cheerfully, placing back the hood on his head, once again obscuring his features. Then he stood up. "Lead the way, Naoto!"

* * *

I would like to credit Ryuacchi for writing the Naoto parts of the story (and, in the future, the other Persona 4 characters). And yes… this is a collaboration between me and her.

As for the changes in Ranma at the beginning… I will reveal the reasons why bit by bit in the story, so don't worry about that.

By the way, here's the disclaimer! We did not create Ranma ½ or Persona 4. Besides, why would we create someone with such an outrageous hairstyle?

- Ranryuujin Omega


	2. Fool: Beginning of a Journey

There is a huge flashy Las Vegas billboard flashed on the first part of this chapter that reads: "We don't own any of the characters used in this chapter. Persona 4 belongs to Atlus while Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. That is all."

After a few seconds of showing the billboard, it is promptly blown up by a missile, wherein it explodes into tiny fragments and covers the whole screen with orange smoke. Once it cleared, the entrance credits are shown as the chapter begins....

* * *

_Beneath the Façade_

_Chapter 2: Fool: Beginning of the Journey_

_A Ranma ½ and Persona 4 crossover_

XxX

"Human speech"

'Human thought'

"_Shadow Speech"_

'_Shadow Thought'_

_Technique name_

**Emphasis**

"Shouts"

* * *

_April 13, 2011; 12:15 am, Amagi Inn_

Amagi Inn, one of Inaba's personal landmarks… or so they say. It's no world class hotel, that's for sure, but it definitely has its own charm to it. The key to their success, as well as the rest of Inaba, is their rustic, ancient feel - it is the very reason why reason why most people come to provinces in the first place, anyway. The peace and calm to the area was something comforting to people, and combined with the quality service of the staff, it was definitely one famous retreat choice for famous figures…. such as the recently deceased Mayumi Yamano. Her death can either be a good thing or a bad thing – either they shy away from the area due to the rumors told of some curse or other great evil, or people get attracted to the mystery and even dare to rent a room. And, of course, there will still be people who will not care at all – like this guy, Naoto thought. This man in a cloak, most peculiar in many ways.

Shen-Long Ranma-san. A man deemed suspicious by both his appearance and actions. He is pretty much capable of feats a normal human being cannot do. This…. martial arts of his, the things he can do with ki, and those eyes. Especially those eyes… Ranma-san could have taught her a thing or two about expecting the unexpected. As long as he doesn't attract anything that could harm Inaba, everything would probably be fine. However, almost everything about this man was a complete mystery. What are his aims in coming here? What were his origins? Alas, Naoto would just have to find them out on her own.

"We're almost there." Naoto replied, breaking the long silence between the two. It was a bit of a long distance between the inn and the police station, but the two walked on without a word. It was quite surprising actually, since Ranma-san seemed to be quite the person – he was either outgoing or a bit egoistic (or both), based from their previous conversation. She might not be good at socializing, but she was probably bound to reply to him anyway, thus striking up an exchange of words. She was expecting him to ask more about Inaba, or about her, but…. Well, there are other days to come, apparently.

Right in front of the inn were two figures; one she knew- the daughter of the Amagi, and future manager of the Inn, Yukiko Amagi-san. She possessed grace the detective will never have – a must, probably, for the image she must show in the future. The other one, however, was totally unrecognizable – an old woman of short stature, although her presence is nothing about being fragile. Who is this woman?

"Welcome to the Amagi Inn." Said Yukiko, bowing in respect. "We've been expecting you, Ranma-san."

"Hn." Ranma nodded at what was apparently one of his current hosts, if the way she addressed him was any sort of in indication as to who she was. Not that he really cared at the moment since all he wanted right now was to sleep in a nice bed for once. They had been traveling for quite a while after all, and it was easy to miss the common luxuries while on the road.

"Now Ranma-dono… is that all you have to say after disappearing on me for so long?" The old woman admonished, shaking her head ruefully at the cloaked youth. "You nearly worried this old woman sick because you lagged behind so much that you apparently needed help getting here."

"Cologne, you're healthier than a bull in his prime despite your really high age." The cloaked teen deadpanned as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Besides, I didn't lag behind. I was delayed by Naoto over here who wanted to ask some questions." He continued, pointing a gloved thumb at the blue haired detective.

Cologne raised a dainty white eyebrow at that statement and turned to the person beside Ranma. "Oh? Is that right Naoto-san?" She needed to be sure if Ranma's claims were correct and not just another excuse like he was prone to making because of his easily-wounded ego.

"Yes, he is telling the truth." Naoto replied. There…. were some things she needed to ask him about. Something about suspicious behavior and criminal activity, but his guardian doesn't need to know that. "So, Cologne-san, was it? Are you Ranma-san's grandmother?"

Ranma didn't even bother to turn to Naoto when he answered her statement with a bit of disgust. "She ain't my grandmother. She's simply my sensei and guardian, that's all." In the case of the royalty- like Ranma himself- guardians were more of babysitters for them so that they would behave. Herb was simply a rare case where he didn't need a babysitter and often ended up playing as one to his retainers. Ranma sure envied him though; he hated having someone watch all of his movements even though he learned lots of cool new moves from her.

"Ranma-dono is quite right. We are not related in any way by blood." Cologne confirmed, sensing Ranma's annoyance with her being called his grandmother. While she would have been genuinely happy to be called that by her charge, she knew that it would never happen. Not with everything that had happened between them.

"I see…" Naoto noticed the sudden tension between the two. Did something happen between them? Ugh, more mysteries about this cloaked man. She will definitely investigate this further, but it should be for a later time. It was night, and further interrogations cannot happen again. That… and she was tired too. "Well, I must take my leave for today." She announced. "I have work to do for tomorrow." She glanced at Yukiko-san. Yes, the investigations about Mayumi Yamano should continue.

"R-Right…" Yukiko knew that look. Mayumi Yamano was last seen at their inn, so it shouldn't be surprising that the police would come to look at the room she resided in for a couple of days. However, it was something very draining not only for the crew, but the visitors in here as well – the presence of the police definitely carried an eerie atmosphere in the area. Yukiko wished, like many others, that they will be able to solve this mystery as fast as possible.

"Alright. See you around, Naoto." Ranma said as he immediately broke the tension that was building up with a roguish grin that showed through his cloak and a cheerful wave at the female detective. "Try not to run into any goons 'round the dark alleys."

Cologne's eyebrow rose involuntarily at Ranma's comment but decided not to voice out her question. Just what did he mean by that? Oh well, sooner or later she'll be able to drag it out of him. "It was nice meeting you as well, Naoto-san. Have a safe trip." She spoke, nodding her head and chuckling dryly. Cologne would have to remember to keep an eye on that one; he seemed to be quite the interesting figure around here.

"I-I can take care of myself, thank you for the concern." Naoto stuttered, a small tinge of pink rising in her cheeks. Why was he all concerned about her all of a sudden?! Still, she did her best to save her dignity (which succeeded, fortunately, considering that Yukiko didn't seem to notice the young detective's embarrassment). After giving them the customary bow, Naoto took her leave. Ugh, a lot happened today….

Seeing the pink on her cheeks clearly even though it was a foggy night, Ranma tilted his head in confusion. Was she sick or feeling dizzy or something? But then again that happened to a lot of girls that he smiled to when his face was uncovered and they didn't know about his past deeds or his heritage…; what was up with that? Bah, women were and still are confusing.

Cologne also saw the pink tinge on his face, albeit probably not as well as Ranma probably had. Howver, unlike Ranma she knew that it meant embarrassment, usually because of the opposite sex. That was odd though, since she could have sworn that Naoto was a male. He was a boy… wasn't he? She wasn't so sure given how androgynous he looked.

"It's time to go inside, Ranma-dono. There's no use in staying outside in this cold fog when you could stay warm inside." Cologne announced to her charge once Naoto was out of her sight. Ranma grunted and nodded in response and then he began to walk inside the inn.

* * *

"Please, allow me to show you to your room." Yukiko replied, leading her way. Pink kimono silk brushed smoothly on the wooden floor, trailing behind her. They chose their room well – near the hot springs, the best place to go for relaxation. And after today's events and trip, it would be the perfect time to take a little soak

Ranma took off his boots and put them in the shoe rack next to the door, leaving his feed clad only in white socks. He then walked briskly to catch up to the pretty teenage girl, his cloak fluttering behind him due to his movements. Aside from his cloak making a slight noise, he was completely quiet and silent as a wraith as he followed his host.

After a bit of walking they finally arrived to a pair of sliding doors. Yukiko opened it with a flourish, showing him the inside. The room promised the same Japanese feel the rest of the inn did. Tatami mats lined the floor, and on top of it were two futons with blue blankets, ready to be slept upon. There was also another sliding door where the bathroom was for convenience sakes. A scroll with a simple painting of _sakura _was set up nearby, as well as a screen of Japanese paper.

"This would be your room." Explained Yukiko. "If you need something, just leave us a call right there." She pointed at the telephone, located at a small desk underneath the scroll. Yukiko then bowed and took her leave, leaving the two to their own devices.

Once she left, Ranma took off his cloak and placed it next to the futon, exposing what was underneath for the first time. He was wearing an elegant long-sleeved white Chinese shirt with a navy blue Chinese lion crouching as if ready to strike out at something unseen along with a high collar and with the wooden ties to the right side of his shirt. He had golden scaled bracers on with three red orbs on each of them, along with white gloves that covered his hands. He was also wearing simple black silk kung-fu pants tied at the ankles along with a dark blue sash and his white socks.

"Cologne? Why in the world did you only get one room for the both of us?" Ranma asked her curiously as he removed his sash, revealing a strange-looking thick black scaly leather **belt** with red spiky ridges running across the length of it. "Couldn't you get different rooms? I'd hate to wake up to yer face every day. It's like wakin' up next to the old lech- Ow!"

Ranma clutched his head in pain after Cologne smacked his head with her gnarled staff for that horrible insult. Not only that, but his **belt** had unraveled from his waist, swishing agitatedly in response to the blue-eyed boy's annoyance. "What did ya do that for?! I was only tellin' the truth! Ouch!" He groaned again as he the staff slammed to his head once again. If only he could prank her real badly… but unfortunately if he did that then his real dad would be on his case faster than the old lech would be on a hot woman.

"You shouldn't insult your elders Ranma-dono. Just because most of the older people you have met were complete jerks does not excuse you from being so disrespectful. Doubly so because you are one of the two crown princes of the Musk Dynasty, which means that you have to learn to respect!" The old woman berated him in the Musk Chinese dialect, which made the lecture all the more scathing given that said dialect sounds almost as harsh as Russian or German did on the ears.

"Tch. Respect is earned **Elder** Cologne. Once you've lost that respect it is even harder to earn back. You have yet to earn it completely back, **Elder** Cologne. Remember that." He sniped back in the same language in a cool tone.

"…Of course, Ranma-dono." The old woman replied with a sigh, for once feeling like her true age. "It's time to sleep. I'll wake you up in the morning for your training." She said in Japanese, her tone short and clipped as she hopped off to the bathroom.

Once she was in the bathroom, Ranma used that opportunity to get dressed in the pajamas he had stored in subspace. He took the plain black silk pajamas with a tail hole out of his subspace pocket and quickly exchanged it with his travelling clothes. Once he was comfortable enough, he went to futon and snuggled in, all too ready for a good night's sleep. He managed to doze off in five minutes, which is about the time that the old woman came out of the bathroom wearing her customary nightgown.

Upon seeing her charge fast asleep, she went towards her futon and went to sleep as well. However, before she fully fell asleep she vocalized one thought that had been bothering her ever since Ranma came back. "Would Ranma ever forgive me, if not my people?"

* * *

"_There is nothing you can do to escape. You will become me." _A sinister bass echoed in Ranma's ears. Upon hearing that statement, the half-dragon's blue eyes widened in horror even as he opened his mouth to try and deny it. Unfortunately whatever he was going to say never came out from his lips; in fact, that action would be the last thing he ever did for a long time.

The embrace of the cold filled him completely, rendering him unable to move from his position. Soon… he could feel nothing but the icy bite of frost and a hollow emptiness in his heart as he held the Gekkaja stabbed on the slain being's chest. He could hear nothing but a cruel, echoing laugh of his adversary, mocking him for succeeding at the cost of everything. _"You can never hide from the absolute truth. And that truth is me."_

* * *

_April 13, 2011; 6:37 am, Amagi Inn_

A silent scream tore its way out of his mouth even as the multi-color haired boy woke up from that nightmare, clutching himself and shivering like he had a bad case of hypothermia or he had seen a huge tiger. For Ranma, remembering that particular part was not too far off from either of those experiences. In some ways it was worse while in other ways it was only nearing it.

"God damn it. Not that one again!" Ranma murmured to himself as he slowly stopped his body from involuntarily shuddering from the perceived lack of heat. He had been having these dreams ever since he managed to destroy that prison his most powerful opponent to date made for him in a last-ditch attempt to kill him. However, he had only heard those words intoned by that **thing** in his dreams and never in their fight. Just what did that mean for him?

"Ranma-dono, glad to see that you are finally awake." A raspy old voice hissed from behind him. Said teenager jolted from both fright and surprise at the voice, even though he logically knew that it was just the old ghoul. It really didn't help that her voice was more suited for a horror movie than for real life… and her appearance even more so than the aforementioned vocal tones because of just how old she was and what drastic steps she had taken to ensure that she continued to live.

Cologne chuckled at the reaction she had gotten from the child. It made her feel so alive to scare children like that, especially arrogant ones like Ranma or technically Herb. "It's time to train, Ranma-dono. Don't tell me that a little night terror is going stop you from training? You're a prince. You should be better than that!" She teased him ruthlessly in Ranma's native Chinese dialect.

"Of course not you old ghoul!" The ponytailed boy declared pridefully in Japanese, forgetting to reply in Chinese for once. "Nothing's gonna stop me from training! In fact… let's start right now!" He stood up, coiled his tail on his waist to act as a belt and marched right out of the door. Cologne followed him, chuckling all of the way as she followed him merrily while hopping on a cane.

* * *

_April 13, 2010; 6:41 am, Amagi Inn_

Once they were in the garden Cologne immediately started by launching a lot of staccato thrusts with her trusty staff, using the pointed end of the long piece of wood to great effect. The speed of her strikes was such that they actually made tiny sonic booms as the piece of move executed a thrust, firing off tiny balls of air at Ranma as well as the wood itself.

However, the ponytailed youth simply dodged and parried it by pushing the stick with a finger to the side, not that it actually wrecked the old woman's form despite the sudden change in momentum that it did to her stick. "Is that the best you can do, Old Ghoul?" Ranma taunted, falling back onto old habits as he weaved in and out of the thrusts and delivered a screaming 45 kick to her oversized head.

Cologne managed to catch the leg, but with a slight wince even as she reinforced her tiny arm with Ki. He may not have been using Ki to bolster his movements right now, but that still hurt like hell given his natural level of strength. However because she had given Ranma the slightest moments of reprieve with that wince, he managed to twist his other leg into slamming cleanly on her temple. This force Cologne to release the hold as she was almost smacked right into a wall, reversing her momentum as much as possible before she hit said wall. It wouldn't do to damage the Inn, now wouldn't it? They would never be admitted in ever again if they destroyed it inadvertently in their spar.

"That all you got, Cologne? I thought you were my **sensei**?" Ranma pointed out teasingly as he readied himself in defensive stance for her counter-attack. "Are you finally slacking off in your extremely advanced age?" He mocked as he waited for her to launch her counter-attack.

"Insolent child! You should know better than to mention a woman's age!" She did launch a counterattack, this time with her effortlessly jumping to cross the distance between them and promptly assaulting him with a barrage of supersonic kicks that was a bit above Ranma's speed. As such Ranma could only crouch and cross his arms to weather the ridiculous amount of blows she dealt him.

Ranma grimaced as she ended her assault and uncrossed his now smoking pajama sleeves with holes in them that revealed hints of the bracers he wore underneath. Now he knew what Ryoga felt when he used to punch him really fast many times on one spot after his Bakusai Tenketsu training onwards. Even with his durability and the protection the bracers gave him the sheer amount of strikes to his arms had **hurt**. Instead of complaining though, he used Cologne's brief resting breather to his advantage and kicked her into the air with a vicious kick.

The boy in his pajamas then followed her up into the air with a massive leap, where they immediately began trading blows with each other with a ferocity that did not seem to belong to a mere training session or a sparring match. Punches and kicks were given and taken freely, dodged, or blocked in mid-air... unintentionally making it look like a violent and intricate dance in the air in the process.

However gravity can never be denied for long. When they felt the pull of gravity finally tug at them they disengaged from each other and landed on two trees in the garden, balancing themselves perfectly on the tips of its top branches without any signs of faltering. After two seconds they engaged each other again with a renewed fierceness as they met again in battle in the air.

* * *

While the two recent arrivals into Inaba were enjoying their spar, two female figures were looking on at the people dancing in the air without any kind of support or special-effect props like in those American action movies. They were Amagi Yukiko and a brown-haired companion who was wearing a green athletic jacket decorated buttons along with a short gray skirt and school shoes.

"What the…?" Gaped young Yukiko, now in her school uniform. She was going to leave the inn with a friend of hers now, but the scene she saw outside made her stop her tracks.

"I've never seen anything like that before…" Her friend said in awe as she watched the two sparring martial artists. "Not even in movies!"

Of course, neither martial artist noticed as they blocked and dodged each other's punches and kicks in mid-air, making it look like some sort of modern dance instead of a fight. They were enjoying this far too much to notice, though to the eyes of on-lookers it would seem that the boy and the old woman were almost… indifferent about this entire thing aside from a tiny smirk on their faces which belied their true emotions.

This next exchange ended with Cologne's staff extended forwards in a fast and vicious strike that emitted a sonic boom… on empty air. Ranma himself was vertically balanced upside-down on the piece of wood with a single finger extended on it. "Your eyes must be failing you already, Cologne! You just missed me!" He declared with a cool insulting tone as he landed his body feet-first on the staff and then used a back-flip to land on the nearest tree-top.

Cologne began to fall to the ground upon Ranma adding so much inertia to her staff, but she managed to correct herself in time and landed on her feet without any signs of strain. "We'll see who has the failing eyesight Ranma-dono!" With that piece said, she blurred out of the sight of the two unnoticed watchers.

Ranma did the same as he jumped off of the branch he was standing on. Both of them reappeared with a loud banging sound which apparently came from the impact between the boy's leg and the old woman's gnarled staff Ranma then used the momentum of the staff left over to spin himself and slam his other leg onto Colonge, who was holding the staff with both hands and was therefore unable to block the kick that slammed in her. Thus she was punted towards the ground; however she was once again able to land on her feet like a cat.

By now Cologne was favoring her left side a bit as that kick hurt! Ranma was even worse off though, with a few bruises on his covered arms and some more of those on his chest. They stung but it was nothing to experts like Ranma and Cologne, who were used to much worse damage.

It's what Yukiko's friend just said – you can't see anything like this in movies! They were totally speechless for a couple of minutes, only for them to realize that they were almost late for school. The two girls snapped out of their amazement and ran. Well, they can probably talk about it later on.

Hearing someone dash off very rapidly with his sensitive hearing, Ranma blinked and looked to the source of the sound. Upon seeing nothing there, his mouth formed into a frown. "I could have sworn that someone was just there." He mused out loud, stopping Cologne from charging at him. "Maybe they ran away?

"There was?" She asked him, to which he nodded in response. She then rubbed her ancient face as she thought of how someone could have managed to watch them undetected. Was it a spy? An assassin? One of those damnable door-to-door salesmen like those in America whenever she visited there to meet with business associates? Or worse… one of those insistent telemarketing ninja and/or samurai? She had quite enough trouble with that particular company to last a lifetime.

'Probably not.' She mused to herself internally. 'If Ranma-dono heard them even while sparring then they must have been really noisy. And if it's anything that bunch of annoyances are not, it's being unnecessarily noisy. It probably isn't important anyway.'

"Never mind then, Ranma-dono. Back to training! This time I want you to get your set of weights and attach them to your body. Pour the necessary amount of Ki into them and then you must roof hop all over Inaba. However no one must see you, do you understand? If you fail to do this we will have another **remedial psychotherapy session.**" Cologne barked the instructions out in a way that would leave drill sergeants whimpering in fear.

Hearing the threat, Ranma ran as quickly as he could back to his room where he scrambled to take a bath, put on the weights and his clothing, and then go out. He could hear the old ghoul chortling the entire time, making him fume and narrow his blue eyes.

* * *

_April 13 2011, 12:15 pm; Inaba Shopping District_

Frustration. That's the best way to describe what Naoto's feeling right now. Its been already at least a day now, and not even a single clue was to be found anywhere. They had no real list of suspects, no actual cause of death, no **anything.** It was ridiculous – sure, the Inaba Police Department was not the best in solving crimes, but really now, even they can find at least one clue, right? It was like someone was intentionally hiding the truth from them…. But who? And why?

And so, the young detective was once again back at square one. They already searched too much in the Amagi Inn, so they decided to let that place go for another time. So she was there in the Shopping District, asking people around. It seemed that nobody knew anything suspicious before the events occurred. Nothing acted out-of-place either, except for one Tatsumi-san, who seemed to have… problems communicating with her. How unusual.

Oh yes, there was only one obvious exception to her list of suspicious figures. It was none other than Ranma-san, whose hobby seemed to be jumping about rooftops. Not that he actually saw it was him – the man's face was covered with a hood – but who else in Inaba can do feats like that? Unless, of course, Ranma-san brought someone else with the same build as his, which seemed rather unlikely.

Ranma-san did bring a companion, though – a certain Cologne-san (Interesting name, Naoto decided as a small after thought), who was more of his guardian than his grandmother, apparently. Is she also capable of the skills Ranma-san exhibited? However, she did look – and seem – normal, in the terms of a human sense. Perhaps she should ask him more about these things later.

Having not noticed Naoto, Ranma quickly did one last jump and landed in a deserted alleyway. Once he did that, he turned off the SEP- Somebody Else's Problem- field that he had generated in order to avoid gawking stares directed at him. Sure this wouldn't have been required in Nerima or in Musk territory, but he was here in **civilization**. Cologne and Herb had made him promise to not to attract too much attention to himself. Unfortunately he had to obey. Darned authority figures and their rules.

He wiped off the sweat that had accumulated on his face and neck with a small hand towel that he had in his pocket, enjoying the soft fluffy feel of the towel as it removed the sweat pouring from his skin. He was panting quite a bit due to the workout he had, which was basically run and jump around roof tops while doing kata and remaining unnoticed and unseen. He hadn't heard any gasps of surprise or anything near that, so he was pretty sure that no one had seen him.

Confident in the knowledge that his SEP field had not been pierced, Ranma casually strolled out of the alleyway after deactivating the weights. His muscles were tired right now and they couldn't take more constant strain. Not to mention that he was pretty famished from doing all of that without breakfast too…. Damn that old ghoul for threatening him with remedial psychotherapy!

"An alleyway, huh." Definitely suspicious. What was Ranma-san doing in there? And so, Naoto decided to follow the young man, something that Ranma still has to notice – or at least, that's what it looks like. His terrible skill in acting and lying, however, was clear proof that Ranma was unaware of a certain someone nearby. She made such notes in her notebook – she's been gathering information about Ranma-san ever since, just in case he proves to be a suspect. The man does baffle her endlessly.

His ears from underneath his hood twitched as he heard someone say something about an alleyway… that was most likely directly related to him. Ranma's mouth contorted into a frown as he digested this new information. Someone had seen him, which meant that he **would** have another one of those **therapy** things that Cologne liked so much. That psychology mumbo-jumbo didn't help at all; it only made thing worse! Not that she believed him. That was the last thing that he wanted.

'If that person was able to detect me jumping from roof to roof even while under the Umisenken's SEP field… then that probably meant that he or she had a greater than usual perception.' He mused to himself darkly as he walked on, well aware that the person was following him from behind.

'Only people I know with that sort of thing are martial artists nearing or on Cologne's level… like me. Knowing those with that kind of power, they would want to challenge me to some sort of duel over something stupid that I probably can't even remember… again.' He heaved a great mental sigh as he knew what must be done. 'Looks like lunch is gonna be delayed a bit. I have to either lose the stalker or find a nice deserted place to confront him/her.' Thus, he decided to lead the person on a merry wild goose chase to see how persistent he or she was… and if truly warranted a confrontation.

Apparently he missed 'detectives' in that nice list of people with excellent perception. What did he expect? Detectives are supposed to observe every single detail they can set their eyes upon, and with someone who stands as much as Ranma…. She then continued following the man, until…

Oh no, he ran! Naoto tried to run as fast as he could. Knowing the difference of their athletic skill, her chances of catching him are next to none. Still, she had to try – maybe the appearance of some obstacle for Ranma would present itself? If she can use that to her advantage, then maybe- just maybe- she can corner the young man.

* * *

Moments later, and the two had reached a small group of trees nearby. Aha. Naoto might not have any strong physical qualities, but she is a great climber, and she can use them to catch Ranma. But how…? She then remembered that she possessed a nice set of rope one of the items she possessed for special purposes. She can lasso Ranma from above, and as few people even check areas above them…. Well, let us see if it would work.

Once Naoto and her quarry were in position according to her plan, she used the rope to lasso Ranma. Unfortunately for her, Ranma was used to stealthy attacks like so he simply caught the rope that was meant to lasso him without even looking. Right after catching the rope, he gave it a very hard tug, which would pull anything that didn't have the strength to oppose his towards him.

Unexpectedly a tug came, something that was too strong for her to resist. In the end, Naoto was pulled along with the rope, and with a yell landed on top of Ranma.

Ranma's eyes widened as he saw that the person on the other side of the rope was actually that female detective from last night. As such, he wasn't able to prepare himself in time and fell to the ground with her on top of him due to the fact that he didn't do anything to stop her momentum. Not only that, but the hood had been removed during his fall, exposing his face to all that were in the area. Thankfully from what he saw it was only Naoto and him here.

"Th-this is awkward…." Ranma stuttered, a blush showing up on his face. He hadn't been in a compromising position with a girl for a very long time, which made this all the more embarrassing. Especially since he hadn't felt himself blush since being freed!

"…" She was speechless. To be in such a situation…! A bright red graced her cheeks, moments before she scrambled her out of the position. She straightened herself up, and grabbed her hat, which was lying somewhere nearby. "…" Naoto tried to say something, but unfortunately no words came out.

He was also pretty much speechless. After all, he had only been here for a day in this town and already he had been in **that** sort of position with a girl, albeit it was accidental and probably only very few people here knew she was a girl. Not only that, but her chest was- Ranma violently mentally shook off those thoughts from his mind. He shouldn't think those things towards an acquaintance! Especially not one who pretended to be a boy!

Ranma pushed himself back up effortlessly, a bright blush burning brightly on his cheeks. Once he was up, he put his hood back on, effectively hiding most of his face and the blush that lay within. However, his blue eyes still held an embarrassed look to them, giving himself away.

"Er… sorry about that, Naoto." Ranma managed to say after a minute of awkward silence. He scratched the back of his neck in nervousness, a habit he had been never able to get rid of. "I thought you were someone else."

"Like who, may I ask?" Naoto replied, pulling her cap downward in order to hide her face.

"People out to challenge me for one reason or another." He shrugged. It wasn't like he cared about who knew about that particular piece of information. "Usually for something stupid, like bread or something."

"….Bread." She deadpanned in disbelief. It was hard to blame her really; after all, if he hadn't experienced it for himself then he would have laughed at that ridiculous idea.

Ranma nodded sagely. "Yeah. You'd be surprised at how petty some grudges can be, especially if their revenge is over-the-top."

By now Naoto was in a more composed state, and was therefore able to speak in a formal tone. "So, Ranma-san, what were you doing in the alleyways?" Yes, why draw more attention to yourself when you are already deemed as suspicious at first glance?

"Landing in an alleyway was less conspicuous than landing in the middle of the street where everyone could see." Ranma pointed out. His SEP- Somebody Else's Problem- field could only do so much before even it becomes useless in the face of something extremely shocking and audacious like roof hopping. In Nerima or in Musk territory he wouldn't have had a problem with that since that was the norm for super-powered martial artists like himself… but this wasn't either of those places; this was Inaba.

"Then, I suppose jumping across rooftops isn't conspicuous at all?" Naoto replied as she raised an eyebrow. Sure, people usually don't look up, but there would have been at least someone who could have noticed, right? Besides, rooftops were usually made up of metal, and those would definitely make a lot of noise.

"I made sure that no one would notice. Besides if they did notice me they would have been pointing up and gaping or something. A random person doin' that is hard to miss." Ranma defended. It wasn't his fault that Cologne liked outrageous exercises like this with even worse punishments. Besides, with the two forbidden schools now belonging to him and no one else due to a deal he made with the old panda he was free to use its techniques-like the Opening stance of the Umisenken which emits the SEP field- by his whims.

"And how did you do that, exactly?" Naoto crossed her arms. Oh yes, it was quite obvious where all of this is leading to… It's probably another trick of Ranma's, no doubt about it.

"Sorry, can't tell ya. It's a trade secret." He replied with a smirk that showed through the hood, his previous embarrassment from the incident a few minutes ago completely gone.

"To you, **everything **was a trade secret." Naoto deadpanned. Oh yes, this was yet another one of Ranma's secret tricks, isn't it? "So, how do you **that **with your Ki, Ranma-san?"

"Do what with my Ki, Naoto?" He asked back, playing dumb.

"Your **trade secret**. You can do that with your Ki, can't you?"

"Hm…." He voiced out as he retracted every single bit of his Ki back in including the regular amount exuded by normal people. Thus it became that much harder to keep the focus on him as he had made himself become **insignificant** towards all of their senses by making them feel like a rock had more life than him. "I dunno what you're talkin' about, Naoto."

"You know very well what I am talking about." Naoto replied, rather surprised at the sudden tone. This was quite unexpected… Still, that doesn't change her stand. She now takes her usual stand at interrogations. "You, Ranma-san are capable of feats no normal person can do, as demonstrated in our previous encounter. There is little doubt, then, that you used similar skills to make sure few people can notice your abilities. Would you care to explain?"

"Hm… nope! I don't feel like explaining how I did it. Besides, why should it matter to you?" Ranma said with a carefree grin as he leaned on a tree casually. "It's just a little trick after all." Albeit it was a trick that most martial arts masters couldn't manage in their lifetimes due to the sheer control the trick needed one to possess in order for it to be truly effective. She didn't need to know that of course.

"I insist." Her voice was completely stern, in contrast to someone's rather laid-back nature. Strange…. was this the work of Ki manipulation again? Most likely. "I would like to know more about your ways, Ranma-san." If it might lead her to the truth, then there's no way she's going to let this clue out of her sight.

"Eh?" Ranma blinked in surprise at her answer. She wants to know just because she wants to? Just because of curiosity? That was certainly an interesting response. Most people tended to make up elaborate stories or something to convince him to teach/tell them about the technique. That was one of the most straightforward and honest things he had heard from someone… and ironically he heard it from a near-stranger.

This pleased and amused Ranma more than it probably should. Thus, he decided that he'll entertain this question for once. Besides, it wasn't as if she could even attempt to duplicate the effect without near-death experiences. "Interesting answer you have there, Naoto. You seem persistent enough to tirelessly ask me about this if I keep it a secret any longer, so it's probably in my best interest to just come out and explain… am I right?" He kept the smirk on his face, which along with his eyes were the only things Naoto would have been able to see under his hood.

At last! Another smile graced Naoto's features. "Of course. Nothing can satiate my curiosity, it would seem." It was true – mysteries were her true love and passion. To figure out something and to find out the truth – that is her one goal. No other self-interest is attached to her motives. The only thing she wanted was knowledge, and nothing more. "So, what is it exactly, Ranma-san?"

"This technique is an upgraded version of one I learned a long time ago. By retracting all of the Ki one usually emits naturally, one can make themselves seem to have little to no life at all- just like a rock or a corpse- to most people by forcibly suppressing their **presence** to the world. They can still see me, but for most it's just like I didn't really matter to them and that someone else would react or something. It's… kinda like emitting a Somebody Else's Problem field." Ranma tried to explain as best as he could. Unfortunately he wasn't good at explaining the concepts as he was in learning them.

Naoto, however, had the basic gist of what occurred. "A 'Somebody Else's Problem' field, you say…" Well, that was an interesting name. "So, by making your 'presence' almost non-existent, you are able to avoid suspicion at any costs…" Both an amazing and terrifying ability to have. If the suspect managed to use such a skill, is it possible for him or her to use something like this in order to cover up tracks? But wait, there's a flaw… "So, Ranma-san, if you are able to suppress your presence, how is it that I was able to spot you?"

"Simple. It may suppress my presence and make people try to actively ignore me… but anyone with sufficient focus and will and/or with a very, very good sense of perception can pierce through it easily. That's why you saw me." He explained. He would have used a true invisibility technique like Happosai did, but he didn't think it was necessary at that time. Plus he was still fine-tuning some aspects of it to make it better… and he didn't really want to test the modifications in a technical trial-by-fire thing.

That's when his stomach rumbled angrily in protest from a severe lack of nourishment. Ranma clutched it in embarrassment, chuckling sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that. Didn't have breakfast or lunch yet."

Naoto coughed at the sound of that rumble. "No, I should apologize. I took too much of your time." It was well spent, however – at least Naoto would know if the suspect had something like that, therefore it will be deemed as something useless, most likely. "I should probably take you somewhere to eat. I believe Aiya serves food in great servings." Aiya, definitely, was the one place for any meat lover in town. Their Rainy Day Special was, in fact, known to be the one dish few people could actually finish. Maybe Ranma-san could….? Perhaps not. Naoto herself can't even finish a quarter of the meal.

"Really? Then let's go! I really need a lot of food today considering how much I just burned off." Ranma cheered. He made a mental note to remember this Aiya place for future reference. Any place that served lots of food- hopefully awesome food- was something to be remembered and frequented! While he could cook his own food he still liked going out to eat more. It somehow felt… more satisfying. Besides the less people who knew that he was a great cook, the better.

* * *

_April 13, 2011; 5:41 pm, Junes Food Court_

Somewhere, in the midst of the small crowd at the new department store, amongst the scents of varied kiosk, lay three students of Yasoinaba High. There was Chie Satonaka, a young girl with short brown hair, Yousuke Hanamura, a guy known for his orange locks and his headphones, and Souji Seta, the newcomer graced with silver hair and eyes. There were in a table, just discussing about the many things in Inaba – like the Midnight Channel.

They say, when it rains during at midnight, and when you look into a turned off TV screen, you would see your soulmate. Both Souji and Youske were skeptical about it – I mean, _really_, how could that happen? But Chie insisted for all of them to try it tonight, anyway.

"But you know what," Chie continued, keeping a low tone. "There's another weird thing going about lately, too!"

Yousuke sighed. "You know, Satonaka, not everything you hear is true. It's probably just lame old gossip or something."

"But it's true!" She insisted. "I saw it with my very own eyes!"

"What, a flying pig or something?"

"Yousuke!"

"Calm down, you guys." Quipped in Souji. He's been hanging out with these two for only a while, and he already figured out the many fights these two would start. "Maybe we should hear about it."

"Glad to know you're interested, Souji-kun!" Chie smiled, before going back to her low whisper. "When I came to the Amagi Inn to walk with Yukiko towards school, there was this really weird guy outside. And he was **sparring!**In pajamas!!"

"Oh come on, Chie." Yousuke replied, still skeptical. "You always get too excited over martial arts. Maybe it's just some athlete who decided to come to Inaba or something."

"Oh yeah? Do normal people do moves more spectacular than Bruce Lee against old ladies who're even better?"

**"….Get outta here."**

"Yeah. Yukiko told me he's some VIP over there – some Chinese guy. But ya know, he looked kinda werid, too!"

"What do you mean 'weird'?"

"Uh, hair with four colors? Is that a new fashion statement in the city or something?" Chie looked at Souji, who replied with a short shake of his head. Sure, a lot of guys dye their hair, but not in different colors.

"Well, maybe it's just some eccentric actor or something." Yousuke replied. "He has weird hair, big deal. Probably he's just practicing some stunts there."

"But they were real! I'm sure of it! As a fan of martial-arts, I'll know if something's doing moves for real!" Chie insisted vehemently.

"Whatever you say, Satonaka." Yousuke rose up from the table. "Man, it's that late already? Looks like I'll have to go home now."

This led to Chie checking her watch. "Yeah, it's almost evening. We better go now. The trio then left Junes before parting their ways. "Don't forget to watch the Midnight Channel!" Chie reminded, before skipping her way home.

Souji and Yousuke looked at each other and sighed. Looks like there's no escaping this. Besides, it's not like someone's gonna get killed by it, Right? …Right?

* * *

A/N: Aaaaaaand tada! This would be Ryua, Ranyuujin's collaborator on this epic piece of work~ (yeah, we like dragons XD) As mentioned in the last chapter, I provide the Persona aspect of this fanfic – it's an awesome game, do play it – while my partner here does the Ranma stuff. Basically, he's a slave driver as I probably provide 80% of the stuff in here.

Ranryuujin: Lies! It's around 60-40 if not 50-50 for this chapter.

Yeah, right! Wait until the rest of the Persona cast gets introduced. Thank goodness Ranma's the protagonist of this story…

Ranryuujin: Bah. Whatever. For the rest of you readers, just wait for the next installment!


	3. Hierophant: Twists and Turns

_"Lost time is never found again." -__Benjamin Franklin_

**_"The characters used in here from Persona 4 or Ranma are not mine. Only the story idea belongs to me. You have been warned."_**_  
_

* * *

_Beneath the Façade_

_Chapter 3- Hierophant: Twists and Turns  
_

_A Ranma ½ and Persona 4 crossover_

* * *

"Human speech"

'Human thought'

"_Shadow Speech"_

'_Shadow Thought'_

_Technique name_

**Emphasis**

"Shouts"

* * *

_April 14, 2011; 5:57 am, Shirogane Estate_

It was early morning, and young Naoto was asleep. Without her hat, her cold exterior or her piercing eyes, she was just a mere child – innocent, young, fragile. No one would thought that the kid currently in slumber would be the famous Detective Prince, one who has been known for calm deductions and detached mannerisms. No, as mature as she might act in the morning, in the end, she was nothing but a child that can be so easily injured by numerous means.

Unknown to Naoto, a shadow creeped into her room. It was a man, tall enough to be an adult. While he moved slowly, he moved **well** and not even a creak passed by the young detective's ears. Content that she was still asleep, the man moved toward her desk. It was very neat and organized – a small shelf of books was on the edge of the desk and writing materials are placed in a can. In the center of it all lays a leather notebook, one small enough to be carried inside a pocket.

The man silently picked up the notebook and browsed through it. Fingers met one page to another, not even letting the sheets make a sound. The parchment was full of writings of black ink – all in a fine print, with detailed observations. A smile graced the man's face – this was what he was looking for.

And then, all of a sudden, his eyes graced upon a word he never thought he would hear upon ever again. Deep blue orbs widened at the sight, hands slightly trembled, and the man was frozen in shock even as he felt that his heart actually stopped for a second. Only one sentence appeared in his mind –

** 'This can't be.' **

_

* * *

_

_April 14, 2011; 8:50 am, Amagi Inn Dining Area_

"So I have to do that endurance and speed exercise for the next month?" Ranma asked the person in front of him as he waited for her to finish her meal. Ranma himself was already done, despite having five times the amount that the old woman was eating.

Colonge eyed the hooded teenager for a moment, not even pausing as she continued to eat at a leisure pace. After eyeing him she went back to looking at the delicious Japanese-style breakfast in front of her consisting of a bowl of steamed rice, miso soup, tsukemono, tamagoyaki with grated daikon radish, and broiled fish. A few moments of silence later she had finally formulated a response… or rather she finally decided to respond.

"Yes, Ranma-dono." She gave a nod before continuing. "While you are not yet in school you will do this in the mornings while you will work Ki control and mastering Kata from your lineage's martial art at night. However, once you begin going to school you will be doing that first exercise sometime after school instead."

"Hm…." The hooded teenager mused as he balanced a pair of chopsticks on his pinky finger to amuse himself. "So this means that I have afternoons off for the rest of this week?" He asked, suddenly flipping said chopsticks and catching them with his other hand.

"Of course. You will need the time to familiarize yourself with this area." Cologne replied before adding something else as well. "Oh, before I forget… since you are free till 6 o' clock pm to do whatever you want before you have to come back to start your training once you go to school, I expect you to use that time wisely. Make some friends or even get into a relationship. You certainly need it Ranma-dono."

"Meh. I'd rather be training." Ranma scowled darkly as he narrowed his blue eyes, which was seen under the hood given the fact that the place was brightly lit and the shadow cast by his hood only covered half of his face. "I don't think I'll have time for things like friends considering the schedule you just gave me anyway."

"You'll be surprised at how much you can squeeze into a few hours of time." She simply replied back cryptically. A sly grin then made its way on her face as she continued. "Besides… whether you acknowledge it or not you've already made a friend in that young detective boy from two days ago."

"Boy? What are you talking about, Cologne. Naoto's a girl." Ranma said, raising an eyebrow. But then again, if it weren't for his senses he would have thought that Naoto was a guy too when they first met. But after yesterday's incident… there was no way in **hell** he could ever mistake Naoto for a guy after that. In fact, it was almost like déjà-vu with the way he was under a girl… again.

"Ranma-dono? How groggy were you that night that you actually mistook Naoto-san as a girl?" She spoke back in surprise as she shook her head. "Honestly, you youth today have no endurance."

"As groggy as you always are. Oh wait, that would be a compliment. Nevermind." He sniped back as he pointed a chopstick at her.

"If I am groggy then what does that make you, Ranma-dono?" She deadpanned.

"Less groggy. Naoto **is **a girl, you idiot." He crossed his arms at her in a huff, releasing his chopsticks before he did.

"Impossible. I would have noticed it, given the frequency of cross-dressers back in Nerima." She pointed out as she completely stopped eating, too engrossed in the argument.

"Well she's a lot better than most of them. Seriously… you didn't notice? Were you that focused on getting some beauty rest?" He remarked snidely as he uncrossed his arms and let his back lean onto the wall while a smug smile showed on his face. "Seeing that you look just like a particularly ugly gargoyle, I can see that you really needed that beauty sleep, so I guess- **ouch!** What the heck did you do that for?" He grumbled as he held his bruised head in pain.

She frowned condescendingly as she waved her chopsticks at him threateningly. "You shouldn't insult your elders, Ranma-dono. How many times must I tell you that?"

"Tell me all ya want. Have I ever listened?" He said in disinterest as began to stand up.

"You will once I resort to… **drastic measures.**" She intoned ominously, sending an involuntary shiver in Ranma's spine as he paused for a moment.

"Hmph. I can handle anything you throw at me, Old Ghoul!" Ranma replied back with much bravado as he fully stood up from the seiza position and crossed his arms.

The old woman grinned mischievously as she began to take out an old yellow paperback book with the title 'Therapy and Torture for the Aristocrat Joketsuzoku, 2nd edition' written on it in Chinese, knowing that Ranma well knew what that meant for his continued sanity for the next few weeks if he stayed here and continued to antagonize her. She really did have to thank Herb sometime in giving her leverage to control the younger prince better, something she needed especially considering the state of affairs between them.

Once Ranma saw that book he immediately ran out of the dining area like hounds of hell-or cats- were on his heels. He wasn't about to be subjected to that shit again! Twice in a lifetime was enough even for somebody like him. He may be arrogant and egoistical, but even he knew when to cut his losses and run!

"Works every time." Cologne commented with a smug grin as she put back the old and worn book back into her over-sized sleeves.

* * *

_April 14, 2011; 1:30 pm, Inaba Shopping District-South_

"Here's you change, dear." A demure-looking elderly woman gave Ranma his change after he paid for the food he ate in her shop. Outside, the pitter-patter of his most annoying nemesis rang throughout the street and inside the building.

Ranma smiled slightly under his hood and bowed once he took his change. "Thanks for the food, Obaasan!" With that said he waved her goodbye and exited the place in a cheery mood despite the downpour outside.

The old woman simply smiled at the fond familiarity the boy already had for her even though they just met. Either he was very polite or he just had a liking to people who made great food. "I do hope to see you again sometime, Shen Long-san. You seem like an interesting boy." She mused out loud to herself as she saw the hooded boy go away.

"Don't worry! I'll come and visit again, Obaasan!" Ranma replied back from a range clearly out of normal human earshot while he waved with his back turned to her. This made the old woman's brown eyes widen in surprise as he apparently heard her from that far away and with the rain supposedly overwhelming the sound of her voice. Not that Ranma noticed that or even cared, whistling a tune to himself as he patted his stomach in satisfaction while lifting a red umbrella over his head.

'That Marukyu Shop had great tofu and a nice store owner to boot!' Ranma grinned to himself under the hood as he thought about one of the best things in life: food. Food was an essential item to living things- one that he had no complaints about. After all, if there's one thing that old panda taught him right it was how to value and enjoy one's food.

'Now what do I do for the rest of the afternoon?' He mused to himself as he walked casually on the streets of Inaba's shopping district without a care in the world, gleefully thinking of all the modern treats that he would be able to try again after spending such a long time in the wilderness without things like ice cream and other sweets… even if it was raining, but that was why he had an umbrella as well as a hood. Sure he was able to live without them… but that didn't mean that he didn't miss them! Especially not with his sweet tooth that was more apparent with his more taste-sensitive female form.

The boy in a navy blue hoodie that hid most of his face was so busy thinking about the many types of food that he would finally encounter in civilization again that he didn't notice it when he bumped into someone… which was atypical for him since that was more of Ryoga's thing.

"Hey, watch where you're going kid!" Ranma blinked once in surprise as he felt something hit him, snapping him out of his food-induced train of thought. Blue eyes peered out of a dark blue hood, looking at the person who hit him with curiosity and annoyance at being accused of not paying attention to his surroundings… even if it was true. It was some drenched scruffy old guy glaring at him, holding his already inflamed forehead with said old guy's black umbrella on the street.

Ranma's nostrils flared under his hood, trying to see if he ever met or encountered this guy after his Musk blood was forced to come to fore. Once he took the scent in, his startled eyes widened to their fullest. 'Dojima Ryotaro? What the heck is he doing in Inaba? I thought he lived in Nerima….'

* * *

_Same time, Inaba Shopping District-South_

A scruffy-looking man in a dark blue polo shirt and red tie stared at his younger companion in incredulity while holding an umbrella over his head. There before him his partner carried an entire plastic bag filled with nothing but green leafy balls… AKA cabbages. The man couldn't help but wonder whether or not his companion needed a pay raise. After all, he was only buying cabbages. That can't be healthy.

"…Adachi are you sure about this?" The man asked his partner in bewilderment.

"No problem Dojima-san!" The younger detective replied as he held his own umbrella. "There're a lot of things you can make with cabbages."

Dojima could already feel his brows furrowing as he sighed. "If you say so."

Once again the police department found no clues regarding the case. Well there was that witness that discovered the body, but she hardly knew anything that could help them search for the killer. As usual, eventually they were done for the day and since they had time left to kill before sundown, Dojima decided to help Adachi with his groceries. Since Adachi shopped at Junes, Dojima also decided to get a little something for Nanako and Souji, which was why he was holding a white plastic bag of his own. Now that they were done shopping, they were currently walking home, passing by the Shopping District as they walked.

**Bam!** While he was looking at his partner in a sense of weirded-out wonder, he walked into what felt like a reinforced steel telephone pole. Stumbling back a bit and grimacing in his forehead's throbbing pain, he let go of his umbrella, soaking him with rainwater as the object splashed to the pavement. He turned to look at what hit him as his vision blurred a bit from the impact. Seeing that it was a person, he glared at the figure while his vision rapidly cleared.

"Hey! Watch where you're going kid!" Dojima blurted out, unwilling to admit that he himself had been too busy staring at his partner and thinking about his weird habits to look at the path in front of him properly.

Once his vision cleared, he stood up and held his forehead while looking intently at the tall kid to give him a piece of his mind… only for Dojima's gray eyes to widen as he recognized the face and eyes under the hood. His heart suddenly went into overdrive as his mind raced, sending him into hysteria.

"Wh-what-?" That was all that Dojima Ryotaro managed to say before he collapsed into Ranma's arms in a dead faint, the sudden revelation being too much for his mind. The ponytailed boy only stared in bewilderment as he reflexively caught the falling body with his free arm.

"Dojima-san!" Adachi shouted as he rushed towards his unconscious partner while still holding on to his cabbages and his umbrella. Immediately he glared at the nearby hooded figure, locking his eyes with him without any hint of fear, only outrage. "What did you do to him, punk?"

Ranma was abashed and impressed when the older man looked at him right in the eye without flinching. Most people were afraid to look at him directly because of the dark, hard edge they had gained after taking so many lives. Cologne called it the look of a **true warrior**... but Herb and the Musk called it the eyes of a predator.

Just because he was shocked and impressed didn't mean that he wasn't pissed at being accused of something he didn't do. "What the hell are you talking about? He just fainted right after looking at me!" The teenage boy narrowed his eyes in irritation at the accusation and the stupid guy who made it.

"You did something to Dojima-san didn't you?" Adachi yelled at the teen while reaching for his walkie-talkie. Once he reached it, he turned it on and spoke into it urgently. "This is Adachi. Dojima-san has been kidnapped! I repeat… Dojima-san has been kidnapped by a suspicious steel blue eyed tall male wearing a thick navy blue hooded jacket."

"Where are you now Adachi?" The radio buzzed to life in the detective's hands, the tone of voice being transmitted being hard and serious.

"I'm at the South Portion of the Shopping Di- ack!" Thhat was all Adachi was able to say before Ranma hopped on the black haired guy's head, slamming the guy's face onto the concrete and breaking his nose.

"I ain't stickin' 'round for this shit." Ranma remarked offhandedly as he used Dojima's partner as a stepping stone in order to get behind the guy to the other side of the street. Having had many bad encounters with cops in the past due to Genma's reputation and actions, Ranma was understandably wary of police officers and their ilk. Thus the hooded martial artist decided that this time discretion was the better part of valor.

After sparing a glance at the cop, the cop's umbrella, and the cabbages that spilled onto the rain-soaked pavement Ranma decided to leave with a parting shot and Dojima's unconscious body over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Later cabbage man!"

"Adachi-san? Adachi-san? What was that strange squishing crack noise?" The radio squawked in the black haired officer's hand as said officer laid face-down on the pavement with blood slowly mixing in the rainwater. He pushed himself off of the pavement and grimaced as he held his broken nose, which was bleeding freely from the nostrils and from the scratches on the bridge of it. Apparently the cemented sidewalk did a number on his nose.

"Damn punk broke ma' nose." The officer grumbled in a stuffy and nasally tone that reeked of annoyance. "Heeeesh runnin' ta da Upper Shoppin' deeshtrict. Stu-oop 'im!" He then looked to the speeding blue boy that was already far away while holding his nose to try and stop the bleeding. "Breeng a car too." Adachi added as an after-thought.

* * *

Normally the Musk prince would have left Dojima's body on the pavement as well… but he needed to get information about what he had missed in Nerima, and Dojima Ryotaro was the best man to ask. That and he also owed Dojima a couple of favors and vice versa. He had a feeling that the guy would want him to explain why he was alive and not dead and he owed him that much at the very least. Stupid life-debts and honor-bound promises.

"This is going to be a bother, ain't it?" Ranma grumbled to himself as he dashed out of the Southern Shopping district with Dojima's body in tow. He breezed by several passerby, who all blinked when they felt a gale go past them but not noticing the speeding navy blur that dashed by.

Seeing a mailbox in his way, Ranma decided to jump over it and then use the pole beside it to spin and slingshot himself even farther by quickly using his tail to grip the metal pole for a few moments. This flung him into the air and gave him impressive distance, but unfortunately it also made him visible for a few seconds. That was enough for him to be seen by two off-duty policemen leaving a random food shop while listening to Adachi over the radio when he threw himself off of the pole and wrapped his tail securely around his waist again.

"Wait a second… that's the guy Adachi-san's describing!" One of the two officers shouted to his partner, pointing at the tall teenage boy with a body slung on his right shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "And he has Dojima-san! Get him!"

Ranma's eyebrows twitched when he heard that, but he fully expected it. His luck really **sucked **today- actually, it always did if he wasn't in a fight. Was there some Kami out there who felt that he had to be chased at least once in every town that he stayed in for more than a day?

"Can't we talk about this? You're acting like a bunch of hormonal tomboys!" Ranma tried to defuse the situation, but it predictably failed.

"**No**!" The two policemen hollered as they chased after him with angry veins pulsing out of their foreheads at the rude remark. "And for your information, we are **not like our wives**!" They continued in eerie unison.

'Stupid cops and their ability to jump to conclusions faster than a Tendo.' Ranma thought darkly with a sweatdrop as he let his legs lead him to his next destination. With that, the chase was on.

* * *

_April 14, 2011; 1:44 pm, Junes Department Store- Outside Area_

'Damn it! They're multiplying like rats!' Ranma mentally groaned as he hid in some bushes in a well-hidden corner. Just in front of him and the plants, there were now six police officers who had joined the hunt for him and his unconscious passenger. That meant that there were now a total of eight police officers after him so far, not including that cabbage guy. Given that they were probably more competent than that batch of officers he had encountered in Nerima a long time ago, it would only be a matter of time until they found him and caught him. He knew from experience that being held up at a police station would only be a headache.

'I need to thin their numbers out somehow….' Ranma thought as he fully shifted into his battle mindset, his eyes looking for a place where he could do just that. His vision then caught sight of the inside of the main part of the department store… which had a lot of breakable and non-breakable items he can use to deter the police or at least disable them long enough to get out of their sight. 'Bingo! Now to get their attention.'

The boy in the navy jacket then jumped out of the bushes and onto a bench where he could clearly be seen by all. "Attention all assorted meat heads in the blue monkey uniforms trying to look important!" Ranma shouted in a mocking tone. "How's 'bout getting' some exercise for those bodies of yours? They're probably getting real sluggish from sittin' on your butts eatin' gaijin food all day!"

All of the policemen searching for Ranma suddenly saw a very bright shade of red when they heard his declaration after instinctively turning to him when he called for their attention in an insulting manner. "Get that mouthy punk!" One of them hollered in outrage after seeing him flaunt his obvious disrespect for them in one of the more obnoxious displays that most of them ever witnessed in this usually peaceful town.

"Hah! Try your best, you bunch of ol' goats! You won't be able to catch me in a hundred years!" The teenager laughed derisively as he shifted Dojima's body so that it was more comfortable to carry. He then jumped off of the bench and ran to the main Junes department store, with the police hot on his tail.

* * *

_April 14, 2011; 1:49pm, Junes Department Store- Inside_

"Mommy, what's that?" A young boy asked his mother innocently with a tinge of both fear and curiosity as he beheld the sight before him. To the young child's credit though, he was only one of the many people who were gawking at the same thing he had his sights on.

"…Just leave it alone dear. We mustn't be rude and stare like rest of them." The mother berated him after a few moments of shocked looks directed at the figure herself. After that she ushered the child to another part of the store.

Meanwhile, withered old woman was cheerfully ignoring the stares directed at her personage while she was picking out random items she would need to train Ranma. She was much too used to the stares every time she visited this crazy island country. Instead, she was humming a bright and gay tune in Mandarin as she continued to browse the large selection in the store.

'Egg beaters, a tool box, a drill, sand paper, butter, five liters of motor oil, ten boxes of matches, bicycle pump….' She thought to herself as she picked up seemingly random items from the shelves. '…Did I miss anything except for the bicycle?'

As she scratched her chin in thought, the store suddenly became much louder with the scandalized murmurs of the people in it as they stopped and listened to some shouting people over at the entrance. Instead of being bothered like the rest of them, Cologne only let out a comment that went unheard by the people around her before going back to thinking about grocery items.

"It feels more like home already." Cologne chuckled a bit as she went right back to devising torture methods- ehem, **innovative and unorthodox training methods** for her young charge.

* * *

_Same time, Junes Department Store- Inside_

The people in the store were minding their own business when the doors suddenly slammed open and let in a tall male in a navy blue hoodie, kung-fu pants, and Chinese slippers with an unconscious figure slung on his shoulder whistling a merry tune as he ran towards a random aisle. Right behind him were eight pissed off police officers shouting at him to give up in the name of the law or have his ass kicked and put to jail with extreme prejudice.

It looked all the more unusual to the crowd staring in bewilderment in that the person in the jacket wasn't apparently taking this entire thing seriously, being completely calm and jovial about being pursued by representatives of the law. This just wasn't normal at all! In fact, it broke the complete monotony of their dull existences in this rural town, making it even more scandalous than it should be. After all, they Japanese did not like people sticking out like that boy apparently did like a sore thumb.

"Tch, what a ruffian!" One of the bystanders murmured. Whether it was in reference to the pursued or the pursuers was not made clear, but the general consensus was that it was likely referring to all of those involved in the chase despite the random bystander's words pointing to only one person. Whatever the case, this comment sparked a wildfire of mutterings that filled the store like background music for the chase.

Ranma grimaced underneath his hood as his sharp hearing caught all of their wild theories commentaries along with the policemen's furious shouts. They were hurting his ears from all this commotion, but he had to be patient. This was the best avenue he had to thin out the number of the people chasing him. So instead of whining like the fat panda would, he saved his breath and ran towards the cooking ware section.

Once he was there, Ranma quickly took some skillets from the shelves and took a peek at his back. As he had expected, they were following him like dumb yet ravenous sheep. With a smirk, he quickly flicked all of the skillets he could snatch and flung it so that it hit them right in their faces.

"**Argh!**" More than one of them cried as they were smacked with projectile kitchen tools.

The screams of pain along with the loud metal clangs finally began to rouse Dojima from the land of Morpheus. His mind began to slowly reboot itself, preparing the middle-aged detective to awaken from his shock-induced slumber.

"Can't take a little pain? Then stay outta the kitchen." Ranma remarked to them as he turned and stopped for a second, accidentally hitting Dojima's head on a particularly hard pot because of the cramped space with a huge clang. Thus the detective was sent back to unconsciousness, this time from blunt force trauma. Ranma almost winced from the sound, but he managed not to show weakness in front of the policemen by channeling his overpowering macho urge to not show weakness.

He just ran out of that section and into the hardware section across three aisles, gaining a substantial lead. He would have been faster, but he was hampered with dead weight, training weights, and the fact that knocking them out would prove them right. As it was he can't hurt them too much or else Dojima would get real mad when he woke up.

"Men, surround the hardware section but don't go in!" The de-facto leader of the police mob shouted to his fellows. "Sir yes sir!" They shouted, dashing towards the ends of the hardware section as fast as they could while dodging the shoppers. Said shoppers were leaving the store en masse because of the chase… even though they wanted to watch. It might get violent after all.

Meanwhile, in the hardware section, Ranma was not dashing out of there once he heard the declaration. Instead, he was waiting for them to come to him with a bunch of nails and screws that he 'borrowed' from this part of the store. A mischievous glint entered his slitted blue steel eyes as a smirk danced across his lips at the guilty pleasure he felt. He hadn't had this much entertainment since Lime and Lime led two entire towns on a wild goose chase while he and Herb took care of the demon archers in said villages.

"Ah ha! We got you now, kidnapper! You're surrounded! Now surrender and maybe we'll let you off with three years of hard time." The de-facto leader declared imperiously as they surrounded him from all sides.

"Gee, whatever happened to **innocent until proven guilty**, dumbass?" Ranma remarked casually, seemingly unconcerned about the eight policemen that want to bring him to jail and give him a hard time as he had them.

"Don't care, punk! You have Dojima's body hostage, so you're going with us, you shitty little punk!" He barked in reply, making other cops look uneasy at this **technical abuse of power**.

"Oh really? Then I'm afraid I have'ta ruin yer plans then." Ranma's hand containing the screws and nails suddenly blurred.

A second later that officer and half of his fellow officers were pinned to the front, solid walls of the aisles across them with nothing but nails and screws. The remaining men's eyes widened at the display of inhuman skill, speed, and strength and was understandably too shocked to react when Ranma did the same thing to them, pinning them to a solid wall on the other side.

"I'd say see ya later, but I really don't want to see your ugly mugs again." Ranma commented as he went out of that aisle and back to the entrance of the store, this time at a more moderate pace.

* * *

"Madam, aren't you the **least bit concerned over police officers pursuing what seems to be a criminal**?" The clerk asked in concern to the very old-looking lady as he scanned her items and put them in a bag. He would have run away himself but his manager told him to never leave a customer waiting, and she was fairly insistent on purchasing her things. If he didn't do as she asked he would have had his pay docked… again.

"Not at all, sonny-boy. This is fairly normal where I come from." The clerk stared at her in utter disbelief. Just what sort of barbaric and uncivilized place did she come from that this was actually the norm?

"…" He couldn't form a decent reply to that without insulting her in some way.

"Yo, Ol' Ghoul, wha'cha doin' here?" Both Cologne and the clerk turned to look at the source of the voice. It was Ranma, looking like he hadn't just been chased by a mob. The clerk stared at him in open shock, while the elder simply raised an eyebrow at the sight of the body slung on Ranma's shoulder.

"Why do you have someone on your shoulder, Ranma-dono?" Cologne asked in concern.

"I'll explain it to you later. Gotta go now." Ranma replied quickly as he began to go to the entrance. For some reason, his danger sense was buzzing at him, but he had no idea as to why.

"Alright, but I expect the full story, Ranma-dono. And here's your new thermos. Try to keep that one safe." Cologne bid him goodbye for now as she tossed him a stylish black thermos.

"Thanks Elder!" Ranma said with a grin and a wave as he put it in subspace and took out his umbrella in the same way.

Meanwhile, the clerk was left gaping in silence at the multiple ridiculous things he saw today. This was beyond his tolerance of weirdness… for the year. "After this I'm taking a day-off, boss be damned." He muttered to himself.

* * *

_April 14, 2011; 2:00 pm, Junes Department Store- Outside Area_

"Adachi-san, you sure you don't want that to get checked out by a doctor?" One of the officers waiting outside of the main store commented as he saw the poorly-made makeshift bandage than Adachi had on his nose.

"Of course I am Yusuke-san! I need to save Dojima-san from that kidnapper!" Adachi declared in a heroic tone. Unfortunately the effect was ruined by the muffled, nasally tone of his voice. Another thing he was angry at the punk over.

"You seem gung-ho about getting your partner back from this kidnapper, but I guess I can't blame you." Yusuke said as he scratched his head sheepishly at the younger man's antics. The other officers were just watching and waiting to see if they needed to engage the felon in the store. After all they thought eight was more than enough against one measly punk.

"If it's to save Dojima-san…." Adachi trailed off as his eyes suddenly widened to the fullest.

"What is it, Adachi-san?" Another cop asked in concern.

"It's the punk kidnapper! Get him!" Adachi shouted as he pointed towards the entrance of the main store.

Ranma's head turned to Adachi and his companions and his expression twisted into one of annoyance that can be seen even under the hood. 'Just great. More of them. I knew I should have listened to my danger sense.' Ranma mentally grumbled as he sighed and began to run away from this place. There was no use in staying here; more will just come. Besides he didn't need to involve bystanders.

The assembled police officers along with Adachi went after him, sparking up the chase again. This time with a new pursuing mob… while leaving their comrades trapped in the store due to their rushed exit.

* * *

_April 14, 2011; 2:10 pm, Inaba Shopping District- North_

'Need a place to hide from the rain! Need a place to hide from the rain!' The mantra went on inside Ranma's head as he held the umbrella above his head and the unconscious detective's body even as a powerful torrent of rain poured out. He really didn't feel like turning into his female form right now since people could possibly see him change here. That would be really bad; the last thing he wanted to be called was **freak** and **monster** and he already had enough of the former alone.

"They're gaining faster than I expected…." He muttered to himself as he spread out his ki and sensed that the policemen were closing in despite his speed. Maybe it was because they were riding in cars or something?

Looking around, he saw an old, dilapidated shrine a bit ways farther to the right. Although it was old, it still looked sturdy enough to be a great place to hide from the rain. 'That's it! Perhaps the Kami don't spite me despite what I've done after all!' Ranma cheered as he headed straight for the shrine.

* * *

_Inaba Shopping District- North: Tatsuhime Shrine_

Ranma breathed a sigh in relief as he carefully put down Dojima's body on the temple floor, making sure that no part of the man was exposed to the elements outside. Then Ranma began to see if there was anyone else in the temple. That wasn't likely, so he also began to search for an exit as well.

Fortunately for him, however, there was someone by the shrine - over there, by the roof, sat a rather scrawny young man. He was minding his own business when he noticed a small commotion, and noticed Ranma entered the site. The young man waved at him and smiled. "Do you need any help?"

Ranma was startled as he looked up and saw guy on the rooftop. How come he didn't sense him there? The rain didn't impede his senses in anyway, so why…? "How'd you get up there?" The hooded teen asked in shock not because he was up there but because he didn't sense him at all.

"Ah, I have my ways." He says before leaving his spot and landing on the ground. "So, what's with you and him?" He pointed at the unconscious Dojima.

"Dunno. Jerk just fainted on me without me doin' anythin'." Ranma huffed in annoyance while glaring at the body. He hadn't noticed that he slipped back to his rough mode of speech due to his irritation. "Then his partner assumed that I did somethin' ta him and sent a swarm of police officers after me. I've been running 'round the place since then."

"Well, considering the circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised." He snickered.

"Ugh. They always assume it's my fault." Ranma groaned as he face-palmed. "My life really does suck."

Ranma then shook his head of his current thoughts and focused on something the guy said earlier. "So you know a secret way outta here or somethin'? I don't wanna be seen by those crazy cops or that even loonier cabbage man."

"...A loonier cabbage man?"

"Long story… but it probably ain't what it sounds like." Ranma replied sheepishly.

"...Okay..." The young man only coughed. Maybe it would be best if he didn't prod into it. "As for a secret way... Well, I'm not so sure, but there's a path right behind the shrine."

"Really? Great! Thanks, whoever the hell you are!" Ranma replied cheerfully as he went back inside the compound and picked up the unconscious body.

"See ya!" The hooded teen then ran off towards the back of the shrine. Sure enough, there was a hidden exit there… covered by a wall twice his height. That didn't stop Ranma as he jumped over it and then continued on his way.

The stranger only smiled, watching Ranma run the other way. "We'll meet again."

Although Ranma didn't hear the stranger's parting words, he still felt a cold shiver run up his spine. However, Ranma contributed that to the shouting that just occurred as he was seen by two police cars. Oh well… it was time to run away again. Too bad he can't just thrash those stupid cars….

"Stop in the name of the law!" With that said, Ranma just ran faster, and began to outpace the cars chasing him.

* * *

_Samegawa Flood Plain_

Once Ranma had entered this area, he slowed down his speed from **faster than a car** to **Olympic athlete** levels as to better maneuver in the slippery terrain… and to avoid the river as well. The last thing he wanted was for him and Dojima to take an impromptu bath. What if the river was polluted or something? After all, humans make such a mess everywhere in the name of progress.

He was far ahead of the police and he could afford to rest for a bit. Therefore Ranma looked for some shade to hide from the rain, all the while humming as he slowed himself even further into a walking pace while twirling his trusty umbrella once.

He did find some shade… but instead of going to it, his eyes widened in horror at the sight that he beheld in front of him. There were a lot of cats taking shelter under the tree! Vicious, child-ripping, man-slaughtering **house cats out to devour him!** He had to run away fast! Of course, Ranma completely ignored the fact that the cats were cowering in his presence because they could sense an extremely powerful predator... him. Sad, really.

'CATS!' He mentally screamed as he promptly turned the opposite direction and ran as fast as he could. '!'

Meanwhile the poor, miserable house cats blinked as the predator suddenly ran away and did not eat them Maybe it was because they were too thin and weak or something? But he looked afraid….

"**Stop-?**" After the first police officer on the scene had gotten out of the car with his partner, he tried to stop Ranma from running by shouting at him. He would have tried to shoot at him, but since he wasn't harming any people then he didn't really have any authorization to fire his weapon at the teenager. Besides, right now this police officer was too flabbergasted that the guy was now running **in the opposite direction**.

* * *

_April 14, 2011; 2:35 pm, Inaba- Hospital_

"See, Adachi-san, doesn't that feel better?" Yusuke pointed out as he absently scratched his bearded chin while he went out of the hospital.

"Yeah, it does." Adachi managed to mumble through the cast that now covered his nose. "I wish I didn't have to deal with that nurse for the entire thing though."

"I-" Whatever Yusuke was going to say next was drowned out as they were suddenly hit by a powerful gale.

Said gale was actually an adrenaline-and-fear driven Ranma, but their eyes were not fast enough to catch more than a glimpse of a navy hood. They couldn't comment on it though, because at the next moment time caught up with them and splashed them with a lot of rainwater.

"Just great." Adachi and Yusuke groaned as they were soaked by dirty rainwater. "What else can go wrong?" Dojima's partner continued.

That was the wrong thing to say. Murphy's Law kicked in and it promptly sent them a new wave of misery. Two police cars chasing after Ranma quickly sped past them a few seconds later without them noting the two men. That wouldn't have been so bad… except the car glanced Yusuke, who hit Adachi in turn and sent them sprawling right back into the hospital and back into the arms of the creepy and ugly nurse.

"Helllooooo boys~! Back so soon? How naughty of you!" She giggled in a sensual and sinister tone. "I guess I just have to… **punish you** after patching you up." She smirked and chuckled evilly, while both young men were internally wailing in despair.

* * *

_April 14, 2011; 2:40 pm, Yasoinaba High School_

Kanji huffed as he wiped off sweat from his brow. This was one of the few times where he _actually _bothered going to school, and this is what he gets? Terrible heat, and in the midst of PE, at that (1)! Not that he doesn't like PE – heck, he **loved **it – but really, a temperature this high is bound to make anyone rush to the nearest source of cold water. Not the best way to enjoy his favorite subject.

He was already in the middle of his warm-ups – done with running and in the middle of push-ups – when he heard a low rumble by the ground. "What the hell?" He muttered, standing up, looking for the source. It sounded like a stampede really, and he was quite sure their class wasn't that big.

A huge dust cloud was rapidly approaching, led by a guy in a navy hood and black kung-fu pants who was holding the tattered remains of an umbrella (2) and an unconscious body which was slung on his shoulder. A painful din of curses, insults, and orders began to saturate the school grounds along with a seemingly angry presence. Despite this, the guy didn't even look like he was panicking; instead he looked like he was just mildly irritated or something.

Kanji stared. He stared **hard**_. _"The fuck?"

Despite school rules forbidding anyone to go outside the premises during school hours (since when did he ever care, anyway?), Kanji rushed outside to meet the crowd. He was visibly annoyed – the noise, those bastards! They're interrupting classes!

"Hey, you - " **BANG!** Kanji was interrupted before he could finish.

Alas, neither the chasers nor the chased bothered to even notice that he was there, especially with more than one of them internally wondering why there was no rain in this part of Inaba. Ranma simply used him as a pommel horse, letting go of the remains of his umbrella in the process in order to utilize a hand. Kanji was subsequently pushed forward and hit in the face by said umbrella as he fell to the ground.

Unfortunately for him, before he was able to stand up again he was trampled by the mob chasing after Ranma without mercy. All the other students could do as they looked on was watch dumbfounded as they saw the toughest kid in school become a literal doormat because of a crazy mob of policemen.

Now Kanji was pissed off. "Shit!" He yelled, wincing at all his injuries - was that a broken bone? Can this day get any worse? At that very moment, the rain finally caught up, and it came pouring down the high school. ...Yep, it could.

Most of the students had run back inside once the rain began. However, two stayed put to drag Kanji's body to the school clinic. They were hoping that this would put Kanji in their debt so that they could avoid his bullying and his beatings. Otherwise they would have just left him there. That didn't mean that they didn't hit every rough part on the way there though.

* * *

_April 14, 2011; 2:55 pm, Streets of Inaba near police station_

'Damn.' Ranma cursed internally as he was once again deep in the part of Inaba where it was raining. His hooded jacket was not made to repel water like his cloak was because it was made out of cotton and silk. Thus, his jacket was almost completely soaked, to say nothing of Dojima's current drenched state. He had under a minute to get out of the rain and hide or else change form in public. That was the last thing he wanted.

He took a glance to see that his pursuers were much further behind, having taken time to get into their cars again to chase after him. Looks like they were getting tired from chasing after him on foot at this rather frenzied pace; that was good for the younger Musk prince. He could use this chance to hide out before his curse activated. The only good thing about that was he was pretty much assured that he was going to lose his pursuers once he hid.

Ranma quickly ran into a completely empty alleyway, knowing that the police could see him go in it. Upon seeing the high walls and the dead end, he smirked. Once he was in, he used _Cicada Shell Concealment_ (3) to hide himself and the still unconscious body. Then he leaped up to the top of the front wall and began to roofhop to a random location.

It was just in time too, as a few seconds later the police arrived to block the only entrance to the alleyway. Once the officers went outside of their cars they went into the alleyway with their guns up.

"Surrender- huh?" The lead officer shouted in disbelief as they saw that their quarry had vanished into thin air. "How the-? When the-? Where the hell did he go?"

The only answer he got was a bunch of shrugs and confused looks along with head scratches. "Ugh… search the perimeter! He can't have gotten far! We need to get Dojima back!"

* * *

In midair after his third jump, he felt his balance change drastically, forcing him- or rather **her**- to unfurl her tail to adjust herself and her new center of balance in order to land safely on the third roof.

Once she landed on the ground, she heaved a sigh and was about to continue onto her fourth jump when she saw the sign beside her on the rooftop. "You can't be serious." She muttered in disbelief as she saw the sign: **Inaba District Police Station.**

"This isn't funny, jerks." She grumbled to the sky, which only rumbled once in answer. After a few moments of staring at the sign, she finally got struck with inspiration.

'At least this does give me an idea….' She thought to herself with a grin.

* * *

_April 14, 2010. 3:07 pm. Inaba Police Station_

It was a hectic day for the desk people in the police station. They had to answer frequent calls from the many field officers who were looking for that kidnapper as well as the avalanche of complaints due to the policemen's careless behavior while looking for Dojima. On the upside though, this meant that they did like him.

Then the doors to the police station suddenly burst open, making every person in the police station look in that direction. The eyes of all the people in the police station widened to their fullest but for very different reasons.

The guy they had been hoping to rescue from the kidnapper was there, right in front of their eyes- Dojima Ryotaro! He was still unconscious but he was in good condition, albeit soaked to the bone. However, that was where all of their attention went to. That honor belonged to the gorgeous girl that was dragging him around with one arm.

The girl was soaked to the bone, looking extremely panicked and more than a little winded. Despite that though, she was still very beautiful, much to the secret consternation of the women in the building. She had bright crimson hair streaked with pink, blond, and violet which did not deter from her beauty at all. She had a beautiful and slightly angular face with a little baby fat, along with less slanted eyes than the norm, indicating that she was probably a foreigner or someone with impure Oriental blood. Those same eyes were a clear, crystal blue, which accentuated her porcelain-like ivory skin and her red lips. She looked to be in her late teens with her face and body language; however her rather… voluptuous body clad in Chinese silk seemed to scream otherwise.

More importantly for the males though, she was bra-less, **talented **in the right areas, and soaked to the bone. Despite her seemingly young age, they can't help themselves but look like a bunch of hormone-addled idiots, preferring to stare and not help her at all. Meanwhile the women were too busy staring at the girl in shock because of who she was carrying.

"Excuse me? If you're all done staring, a little help here please?" Ranma's voice intoned melodically as her eyebrow twitched at the disconcertingly familiar reactions.

The guys all quickly rushed forward to help her, only to trip up amongst themselves and begin to bicker like children. The red haired girl sweat dropped at the sight, although internally she was trying not to double up in laughter… like some of the women in the far corner of the room were already doing, which she could detect with her very sharp hearing.

Finally, after a minute of the ensuing melee the brunette lady seated in the desk nearest to her took pity on the poor, rain-soaked girl and walked to her. "I'll help you with that, miss." She spoke gently as she took the unconscious detective's other arm and lifted it up.

"Let's bring him to a warm room." She said. The red head nodded, looking grateful for the assistance. The guys noticed what she said and tried to argue, only to be silenced by a very deadly glare from said woman before they could even say a word. Of course, Ranma was impressed that she was able to cow those men so quickly.

"After this you can tell me how you found Dojima-san's body, Miss…?." The brown haired woman said with a thin smile as she turned to the currently female Ranma.

"Zhang Rhea." She replied, confident that she can rely on half-truths for this.

* * *

_April 14, 2010. 4:10 pm, Inaba Police Station_

"Okay, that was much more of a headache than I thought it would be." A now male Ranma acquiesced as he sat down on one of the chairs, waiting for Dojima to wake up. He looked bored s he leaned into his chair and stared daggers at the guy who caused him so much trouble today. Perhaps he should have just left his body behind….

He was first interrogated in his female form, which went surprisingly easy, considering that he was a terrible liar. His acting skills must have improved immensely from the last time he had to do this. However, the lady had asked 'Rhea' to contact him so that he could get his side of the story. Ranma managed to make a show of it and managed to make her 'disappear' and for himself to 'appear', sans jacket and in an entirely different outfit.

After the snickers and stares about his outrageous hair along with his short-sleeve red Chinese shirt along with a new set of black kung-fu pants, he had been led to the interrogation room for the second time that day. He had managed to make them believe his mostly truthful story despite some slip-ups by the skin of his teeth, but they were still suspicious of him. That was why he was still here, waiting for the unconscious detective to finally wake up so that he could confirm his story.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Ranma was finally at the end of his patience. With a scowl, he abruptly stood up and walked to the unconscious detective and bent next to his ear. The teenager took a very deep breath.

"**Wake up you stupid monkey!**" Ranma calmly caught a reflexive punch from a now conscious Dojima, who was now sputtering and stuttering.

"I-I am not a-?" Dojima suddenly blinked as he suddenly realized where he was, mostly because of the sudden pain in his right hand. "Huh? Why am I back in the station?"

"Are you really a detective?" A voice asked with a note of amusement as pressure in his right hand suddenly eased. "Sheesh, Ryotaro. You've really become an old man now."

"R-Ranma-kun…?" The gray-eyed detective asked after a few moments, having had too much shock in his system to process the insult properly. "So that encounter wasn't some crazy dream?"

"'Fraid not. By the way, your partner is really annoying." The teenager commented offhandedly.

"But this is **impossible!** There's no way someone can come back from **becoming a literal human popsicle**- not even you! Second of all, why are you so young?" Dojima asked in utter disbelief as he shot off rapid-fire questions.

Ranma sweat dropped and made him stop the questions by raising a hand. "Slow down, slow down, Ryotaro. I'll explain. I owe you that much at least."

"This outta be good." Dojima said as he crossed his arms. While he was actually thinking that there was a very high probability that this isn't actually Ranma- after all, it was pretty unbelievable for someone to come back from the dead-… he pretended that he believed that he was who he claimed he was. That way, he could see for himself if he really **was** the real deal.

* * *

_April 14, 2010. 7:30pm. Inaba Police Station_

Hours passed by slowly today. There wasn't anything much to do, even in the police side. Well, Naoto did hear Dojima-san being kidnapped or something, but Adachi-san seemed to have cleared all of the misunderstanding some time later. It was quite the curious event, however, especially on how Adachi-san described everything. Why on earth would Dojima-san faint just like that?

These thoughts clouded the young detective as she entered the police station, ready to send in her report of the day - unfortunately it was but pieces of bare information. She was to go to a certain room to leave her report when she heard two familiar voices.

One of the voices was Dojima-san and the other - Ranma-san? Naoto was surprised. She didn't expect the strange boy to be acquaintances with the detective.

The two seemed to be having an enjoyable time - an indication that the two knew each other for quite a while now. Naoto stood by the door and waited, curious about their relationship.

"-And then you ran from the bath house like the hounds of hell were right on your heels with her on your arms! Not to mention that you both only bath towels on to preserve what modesty you had left! Bwahahahahaha! Man, I didn't realize how funny that kind of situation was until I was out of it!" Ranma pointed out to Dojima between peals of laughter. After he had explained what had happened to him, Dojima bombarded him with questions, but after that took the event in stride like any true Nerimian would with events concerning Ranma.

"Ehehehe. Yeah. But saving her made it all worth it." Dojima retorted with a blush and a dreamy grin, which was quite unlike the hardened detective.

"Are you sure it was **saving her **and not the **kiss** she gave you while in nothing but a towel?" Ranma teased, his blue eyes twinkling in mischief.

"…That was part of it, yeah." Dojima muttered sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head with a grin. "Too bad her monkeys had to ruin it. And her dad." He added the last sentence with a bit of bitter resentment.

Ranma rolled his eyes. "Of course they would. Those ninja gardener monkeys are way too overprotective of her, and given what people would think given your appearance in a secluded part of the park… especially when that person was your girlfriend's pops. Of course it wouldn't end well."

"Ranma-kun, just… just shut up before I slug you with something, preferably my gun." Dojima grumbled as he raised a playful fist. Ranma simply scoffed and smirked arrogantly. "You'd break your hand trying, idiot. You don't have the force necessary to even faze me anymore."

"Are you implying that I've become weak as I got older?" Dojima asked in mock outrage. Ranma simply snickered. "While that's part of it… that's not the reason why you'll break your hand hitting me. I've just gotten way stronger and tougher, that's all."

"That's for sure, kid." Dojima smirked in amusement as he saw Ranma fume. "I ain't a kid! For the last time, just call me Ranma."

"No can do, o high and mighty one. Your reactions are simply too fun to watch." Ranma simply twitched and groaned, slapping a gloved hand on his face and unconsciously grumbled, unaware that. "Frustrating human."

"You sounded like your older brother just now." Dojima commented with a raised eyebrow. Ranma's eyes widened and he slapped a hand to his mouth, but not before muttering, "Oh damn, his attitude's contagious!"

Naoto couldn't handle it anymore. Ranma-san is Dojima-san's age! Impossible! There is no such technology in this current times that can delay aging. Everything she had known had started to turn into pure fiction the very moment she met that boy. What's next, television sets eating people or something?

Well, there's only one way to find out.

"Excuse me," She coughed - her way of interrupting conversations without sounding too formal or informal. She, however, immediately threw a glare towards her new friend. "I see you know Dojima-san. Care to explain?"

Upon hearing Naoto's voice, Ranma's blue eyes abruptly widened as he reflexively paled. However, Dojima had a very different reaction; he smirked.

"Yeah, I definitely know this guy." Ranma looked at him in horror. He wasn't about to-?

Seeing the uncomfortable look on his buddy's face, Dojima resisted the urge to chuckle like hell. He had forgotten how entertaining Ranma's presence was! "-he's a kid I met back in Nermia. He was a cute little tyke back then... although way too snarky for his age."

Naoto, however, didn't buy it. "I heard you two earlier, talking like two old friends... Do explain how on Earth do 'ninja gardener monkeys' make sense in this world."

"You'd be surprised at how **bizarre** reality can be." Both Ranma and Dojima commented at the same time.

Naoto coughed. "Anyway, that doesn't explain why Ranma would know the occurrence of your first... date with your wife, Dojima-san. It looks like he saw the very thing with his own eyes."

The detective simply answered back before Ranma did and ruined the entire thing. "It was a short, whirlwind romance." His answer was a blatant lie; it took him **years** before he had the guts to propose to her... but he didn't know that.

"Regardless, that doesn't answer the question, Dojima-san. Why did Ranma-san witness it, if you only met him as a kid before? The years will not add up."

"I visited Japan more than once." Ranma piped up, sounding very sincere for once. That's because he wasn't lying- he did visit Japan more than once. It was just that he travelled too much for him to consider Japan as his true home. Combined with those **other revelations **(4)...

"And what does you visiting Japan count with it? We're talking about time, not place." Naoto sighed. "Ranma-san, I do know that you are a terrible liar, but I did not expect Dojima-san to be the same."

Dojima resisted the urge to face-palm. Ranma was going to muck things up and make the entire decade-or-longer ruse explode. He had to fix this fast!

"Ranma-kun introduced me to my wife as a kid by accident. With him, it happens all the time." The detective explained. It was the truth, even. Just... twisted to suit his needs.

"I was being chased by the monkeys... which I led to Dojima as a prank. She tagged along because she had nothing better to do." Ranma explained, causing Dojima to stare at him with an eyebrow twitch. So **that's** what happened!

"They hit it off pretty quickly too." Ranma added with a snort. "Like two sickeningly sweet lovebirds."

"And you, Ranma-san, would remember all this, despite being a child back then?" Naoto sighed. "You two better tell the truth now, or else -"

This scene was interrupted by Adachi entering through the doorway… and staring at the multicolor-haired youth that had given him so much trouble. "**You.**" He groaned, which sounded garbled with the bandage on his nose.

"Heya Cabbage Man!" Ranma suddenly exclaimed, glad for the distraction.

Adachi only sighed and twitched an eyebrow. He would have face palmed… but his nose was still injured from an encounter with the pavement. A crime the punk had yet to pay for. Instead, he had another form of revenge. "Oh, hey, look who's here! Now, now, Dojima-san, you can't let these kids stay here for too long. Didn't you hear? First day of school's tomorrow!"

"I don't go to school here yet, Cabbage man. There's no rush." Ranma stated with a relaxed grin.

"Oh really, now?" Adachi said, a seemingly friendly grin on his face. "I heard you were going to Yasogami High, starting tomorrow. Hey, Dojima-san, isn't your nephew going there, too? They could meet up!"

Ranma saw right through that grin, but he maintained his own easy-going one. However, a closer look at his eyes would show that he was becoming irritated at the man with the busted nose. "The elder and I still have things to fix before I can start attending." He stated evenly.

Dojima, however, had a different reaction. "You're going to school here?" He asked in genuine surprise. "I thought you were just visiting again."

"The elder said that I needed to learn the **modern ways of civilization** or whatever." The ponytailed male shook his head in exasperation. More like **timeframe**, but still...

"Yep, I bet you're going to need that a lot." Adachi said, bluntly. While smiling.

"Says the guy who jumped to conclusions faster than a dog on a juicy steak." Ranma retorted acridly, his blue eyes narrowing in distaste at the potshots the older-looking guy was taking.

"He has a point though. You do need it." Dojima pointed out with a rueful smile.

"Hey!" Ranma took offense to that. The ponytailed Musk didn't think he was nearly that bad. He knew **civilization**… just not this current timeframe. It's not his fault that almost two decades changed so much in the world.

"Yes, you do." Naoto agreed, making Ranma looked at her in annoyance. "Et tu, brute?" He quoted from some textbook in an attempt to prove them wrong.

Suddenly, a proverbial light bulb flashed in Dojima's head as he looked at the interaction between Naoto and Ranma. Maybe he could solve two problems at once with what he was thinking! It would finally get Cologne off his case **and** he could get revenge for the younger boy's earlier comments as well! "…Ranma-kun? You like messing with criminals, right?" Hook….

"Of course!" The ponytailed boy replied, staring at him in a 'you should know this already manner'.

Dojima let himself smirk a bit. **Line**. "Like old times, right? You wouldn't mind helping out a bit? After all, you **owe me** after that mess you caused today."

"Eh, sure! Why not!" Ranma cheerfully replied, unaware of the trap that Dojima was about to spring. "A debt's a debt." He added in a more serious tone.

"In that case… for the duration of your stay here, I am making you Shirogane-san's partner." **Sinker.** The gray-eyed detective smirked in full.

"Okay then- **What**?" Ranma's blue steel eyes widened to their fullest, his pupils contracting slightly in his sock. In fact, it seemed to take a slightly oval shape that was suggestive of a cat's eye. "Are you serious?"

"Of course." Dojima said, still smirking.

The younger detective wasn't fond of this predicament, either. She frowned and crossed her arms. "Dojima-san, I'm afraid that this proposition of yours would be... Troubling." She held a sideway glance at Ranma. "Ranma-san would prove to be a hindrance during the investigation." Sure, he knows how to catch them, but he would be too suspicious. Plus, his interrogation skills proved to be rather inadequate.

"I don't even know what this investigation's about, anyway. I just got here a few days ago." The blue eyed boy relied as he glared at Dojima.

Dojima simply raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about Ranma-kun working on **that** murder case? I was talking about other, much smaller cases that flood us in the meantime. Besides... I remember the **last** time you worked on something like that, Ranma-kun." It led him to a two-year chase against the perpetrator and ended up horribly for both parties.

Ranma winced at the reminder, forgetting the first part entirely. 'Damned Shenron...'

"He worked on a case before?" Naoto crossed her arms. She actually found it quite hard to believe. How would someone like Ranma actually manage to investigate on someone? The guy was too loud for his own good.

"Loads of times. Dojima or some other guy usually drags me in as the muscle, for spying on their criminal activities, or usually both." He remarked before catching himself and shutting up. Dojima simply chuckled as the poor dragon prince inevitably proved Dojima's point.

"... Is he telling the truth, Dojima-san?"

At that question, Ranma jumped from his seat to make Dojima shut up, but the detective had already anticipated this and barely managed to dodge the lunge. He was so enjoying this! Serves the jerk right for being as good as dead for such a long time!

"Definitely, as you can see from his reaction." The older detective replied with a wily smirk at the ponytailed boy's glare.

"..." At the end, Naoto resigned. "So he can be useful in investigations. I'm quite... Surprised, to be honest."

"Yeah, right!" Adachi chuckled in. "He's quite the bumbling kid! Reminds me of my younger days..."

Naoto stared at him in disbelief.

"You're not that much older than me, Cabbage man." Ranma deadpanned.

"Anyway," Naoto coughed. "I believe we are going to be co-workers from this day on, Ranma-kun. This, however - " she narrowed her eyes, "does not exempt you from my questions, is that clear?"

Ranma gave one last venomous glare at the smug older detective, noting to himself that he would get the older man back for this someday. Then he fully faced Naoto and stared directly into her eyes with a resigned smile.

"Crystal."

"Good." Naoto smiled. "Welcome to the force."

Before Ranma managed to open his mouth and fire off an insulting comment about what he thought about most of the police force in Japan, Dojima stood up and slapped both of their shoulders happily.

"Good! Now start working!"

Ranma stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Right now?"

"...Yes, right now."

"...Yeah, yeah." Ranma stood up and stretched his arms, unintentionally showing off the golden bracers he had been wearing the entire time. He had stayed in that chair for far too long anyway, and he needed physical activity.

However... just how was he going to break this to that Old Ghoul? She's gonna be pissed about having to rewrite his entire training schedule. He was already behind as it is.

"Good luck!" Dojima waved goodbye with a jaunty wave. Not that it would help Ranma- what with that boy's unusual luck- but it was the principle of the thing.

"Hmph." With that, both detective and martial artist went on to patrol the streets of Inaba once again. They still had around three to four hours before they can go home, anyway.

* * *

(1) Yes, it is possible for a particular area to experience two different sets of weather. My mother experienced that once, watching her teammates run in the rain while she was seated in the sunshine. They were less than ten feet away.

(2) Running at the speeds Ranma does will destroy an umbrella due to extreme wind resistance and friction. He's slowed down in this particular area, but the damage had already been done.

(3) A technique from Happosai that renders the user invisible. However, one cannot attack in this state. How exactly Ranma managed to learn this from Happosai will be explained later on.

(4) To be expounded on in a later chapter. It's… complicated as it has something to do with this Ranma's past.

A/N: Ranryuujin here. I forgot to say in the previous chapter that the telemarketing ninja comment was homage to 'Coupled Union- Tick Tock' thread in Anime Addventure.

By the way, this was supposed to be done a month ago, but Ryua got lazy… again. At least it's only a month late this time! And only a week or so after the first anniversary of the fic too! Probably one of my faster updates. Expect the next chapter either on December or sometime next year.


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